Makes No Difference
by lavenderskyxx
Summary: Derek and Casey are best friends. They are also step-siblings. Casey has a habit of matchmaking Derek with her friends. The problem? Derek's only interested in one girl. Derek/Casey.
1. Casey McDizzle

New story? Yeah I know. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever publish not one, but two stories on FF. I haven't lost interest in The Great Escape though. This story will actually be based on a Dasey video called 'I Should've Been After You' by dutayeja. I absolutely loved it, and hadn't seen anything really like it on FF, so I asked her. :] Go and watch it now if you haven't!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Life with Derek, dutajeya's YouTube video or 'I Should've Been After You' by Rooney.

**Casey McDizzle**

"Oh, yeah. I totally just beefed it." Derek fanned his nose in a rather nonchalant wave of his hand as his gas infiltrated the room. The rather disgusted female in the room, ran and cowered in the corner to escape the offending smell. Said female was Derek's best friend and they were both in their sophomore year of college. They decided after a while that it would be cheaper to live together, well their parents did.

"De-rek! What did I tell you about bodily functions?" Casey, the slender girl with the long brown hair and striking blue eyes was eying Derek with utmost disgust.

"_Cassandra. _What did I tell you about me being a guy?" He gestured toward his crotch, and she looked away from the brazen display. Derek, the tall lanky guy with the messy brown hair and dark eyes, eyed Casey with a smirk.

"You're running away from the point. You can't be a guy around me, I won't allow it." She said plainly, as if their conversation was rehearsed. In truth, it was, because while Derek and Casey were very close, they pretty much irritated the hell out of each other.

"That's like denying my existence. I need to fart, I need to not shower for three days straight, I need to eat chips and drink beer occasionally. I _need _to be a guy." Derek got up from his couch, walked over to the corner she was hiding in, holding her nose. He bent down to pick her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Please remove me from your person, Venturi. Is your family name synonymous with poor hygiene? Or is little Edwin just a sap following his big brother's horrible influence?" Casey slammed her small fists on Derek's back as he twirled her in the air.

"Hey, Lizard's more like a Venturi every day. Kid's got talent in hockey." Derek said, throwing Casey onto the couch, watching her flail about disoriented. He laughed at her, and plopped down onto the couch with her.

"My sister is refined and dignified and has much more class than you. Luckily Marti has had some female influence in her life." Casey crossed her arms, sticking her nose up snootily.

Derek snorted, "Face it Casey. You're the black sheep of the family."

Oh yeah, did I mention that they're step-siblings?

-

"I'll have an iced tea, please." Casey said politely to the waiter, her smile bright. Derek shook his head at her slowly, a smirk on his face.

"You're such a flirt." He said bluntly, playing with the forks on the table.

Casey recoiled and looked straight at Derek. "I am not!"

"Are too, miss 'I'll have an iced tea, please'." His voice raised a few octaves in a mocking tone, and he tried to imitate her smile.

"I am not! Just because I'm polite, doesn't mean I'm a flirt. You should learn a thing or two about that." Casey retorted, crossing her legs underneath the table. They were at their favourite hangout, a burger and milkshake joint near the campus. Jazzy 60's and 70's tunes flowed through the old jukebox.

"Babe, if I ever decided to be that polite, I'd have girls lining up for this." He gestured to himself, like he did way too often and Casey rolled her eyes.

"The only way you'd have girls lining up for you, is if someone posted your number in the girls' washroom with a 'wanna have a good time' sign on it." She snarked, poking at the salt shaker next to the ketchup.

"Aww Casey, you're so mean to me." His voice was whiny and he pouted. He knew she hated that face because it got her every time. Her anger dissipated and she reached over to cup his face, before lifting her hand and smacking him lightly on the cheek. He just smiled in response.

"Well, I wasn't flirting, okay?" she said adamantly, the waiter coming over and setting the iced tea down on the table. Underneath the glass, there was a napkin with seven digits on it.

"Derek 1, Casey 0. I prove you wrong yet again princess." Casey flushed and quickly swiped the napkin from the table, and stuffed it in her purse.

"Hush." She said quietly, somewhat embarrassed but didn't hesitate to shoot him a nasty glare.

"Looks like McDizzle's got a hot date tonight!" he announced, the rest of the restaurant's guests looking back at them.

"I do not! And stop calling me that!" Casey huffed, throwing her straw out of her glass and gulping down the iced tea, as to not think about her current embarrassment.

Derek laughed, and sat back in his seat. It was only with this girl, his step-sister and best friend who he could be whoever he wanted to be, and feel completely at ease. She was exciting and always challenged him. They didn't always have the same things in common, but that's what kept their relationship interesting. Especially that time he dragged Casey to a cat fight that was happening in a mud pit on campus; … that Casey eventually joined in because both girls were jealous that she was there with him and called her out. He digressed, however.

He truly hoped that he could know Casey for the rest of his life, because he'd never meet anyone like her again. But don't get him wrong, he'd never actually consider her more than this. Casey didn't even really classify as a girl. He still looked for her spaceship in her room on occasion, before or after he stole all her bras.

-

"Normally I wouldn't oppose to being surrounded by girls, but why here?" Derek complained, as they stood in line to get into a club. Casey's friends from both high school who came with them to Queen's and her new university friends were chatting animatedly amongst each other in the line. They were all attractive in their own right, but Derek never went after them in respect for Casey. This meant that they comprised the 1% of Queen's that Derek hadn't dated.

"Everyone wanted to go! And your 'dudes' went back home for the weekend like a bunch of pansies." Casey replied, her teeth chattering from the cold. It was mid-November, and they were all feeling bogged down with work and decided to let loose a little. Those were Casey's lame words that dragged Derek to this downtown hub of alcohol, desperate guys picking up girls, and insanely loud music. Not to mention sweaty people gyrating themselves on you from every possible angle.

"I seriously hate clubs, but you've been so stressed out lately that I came. This is the last time I do it though." Derek groused, not wanting to sound like he cared too much. Casey smiled warmly at him, and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. He promptly wiped his cheek in his sleeve, and smiled back at her a little.

"I know, D. Thank you. Just dance with me then!" she said, twirling in the line gracefully and landing in his arms. He grabbed her, and felt himself tremble slightly. He chalked it up to the cold.

"Let's see if you can even keep up with me!" he said teasingly, poking her in her sides, making her giggle a little.

"Oh? Who was the one who choreographed our dance in 12th grade?" she asked, her eyebrow raised and her eyes challenging. He thought back to their dance that had aired on television a couple years ago, and he grinned.

"We totally smoked that bitch, didn't we?" he reminisced, unconsciously brushing his thumbs on her sides. Casey chuckled then, and nodded. The line started to move quickly, and Casey broke away from Derek's grasp to link arms with one of her friends. Said friend looked back at Derek with an unidentifiable expression, and Derek raised his eyebrow in confusion and wonder.

-

Derek sipped at his beer as he sat the bar, and he sighed. There wasn't anything redeeming in going to clubs, for him. He felt like being there suggested he couldn't pick up girls in any other way, when in reality, all he had to do was smile at one and they melted at his feet. The only girl who hadn't done that was Casey, but she was his step-sister so she didn't count. Derek frowned at this thought, and was treading on frightening thoughts when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see Casey standing there with her friend from earlier.

"Hey, D. You should dance! Sandra here is really good at dancing, and she can show you." Casey said excitedly, her voice taking on that 'I am totally up to something I shouldn't be' tone that Derek had come to know so well. He groaned, and wondered what Space Case was thinking. He looked at her friend, and recognized her from their high school. She was somewhat quiet, but she had a cute quality for her. Shoulder-length reddish brown hair and pretty eyes, Derek could stand her for a while.

"Fine… Sandra right? Heh, why didn't we talk more back at Thompson?" Derek said, making conversation and taking her arm, leading her to the dance floor. He looked back at Casey and shot her a look, and she just smiled at him innocently. It was everything but innocent though.

The rest of the night continued like this, and Derek was close to admitting he'd rather be in class than be at a club with some girl he didn't know very well. It was one am when everyone was ready to go home, and Derek led Casey to the Prince.

"Hey, let me drive!" Casey said, running to the driver's seat. Derek shrugged, too tired from forcing a smile and a calm demeanour the entire night.

He got in the passenger seat, and sat back, closing his eyes. He felt a serious headache coming on.

"So what was that all about, Case?" he asked, after she had started the car and was driving like a grandmother towards their apartment.

"What was all what about, Derek?" she replied, her expression changing from happiness to nervousness in a fraction of a second. How did he get to know her expressions so well, anyway? It wasn't like he watched her all the time. …

He shot her a look. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to set me up." Derek began laughing at the notion, and began clutching at his stomach when he realized the ridiculousness of it all. Derek didn't ever need to be set up, girls fell at his feet and he knew this well.

Casey frowned, and looked over at him. "But Derek, how long do your relationships typically last?" she asked, and he had a feeling he knew where this was leading. Some feminist jibe about respecting women, or being happy.

"Hmm, three weeks, more or less. Why?" he answered, tapping at the door handle when they reached a red light. Casey sighed, and stepped on the gas when the light turned green.

"As much as I hate to say it, I do care about you." Casey started.

"Oh, here we go. Feel good family moments are only allowed once a year Case, with a duration of 3 seconds. Please tell me you haven't forgotten." He grunted, his gaze on the passing stores and people about on the downtown streets of Kingston.

"Hush, this is important. I just, want you to be happy Derek. Even you should experience what a real relationship is like." Her keener tone was taking precedent, and he flipped on some music to drown out the creeping uncomfortable silence.

"And what, you think this Sandra girl is going to be able to do that? What makes you think she's my type?" he asked, feeling like his emotions were moving at light years compared to the speed at which she driving the car. She took conscientious driver to the extreme. Casey bit her lip, thinking the situation over.

"Well then, what is your type Derek?" she stopped at another red light, and looked at Derek. Derek looked back at her, his eyes etching out every detail of her that he had come to learn over the years in his memory. Her fiery blue eyes, her regal nose, her pouty lips. Her tanned skin and flowing wavy hair, her slender yet curvy body and legs that went on forever. His eyes caught hers again, and he thought about all of their experiences together. She was ridiculously smart and witty, she was clumsy and yet so graceful. She was compassionate and put others before herself. She made him laugh, she challenged him, she made him challenge himself to do better, she made him feel, she made him happy.

But she was his step-sister, and he could never have feelings like that. He supposed though… that she was his type. Above all, he wouldn't want to ruin their great friendship that they took time to build after their parents married when they were fifteen. This still didn't mean that he'd ever have feelings for her. He was still inconclusive about her alien status.

After his intense gaze, Casey's eyes wandered nervously, feeling like she got the hint.

"My friends are just as hot, Derek." She said, a bit arrogantly. He was broken out of his reverie by her comment, and he almost blushed at being caught.

"Oh, I was just thinking about the delicious concoction that you'll be making me when we get home. I wasn't thinking that you're hot, or that you're my type babe." He shifted his gaze to the street again.

"Sure sure, but you're going on a date with Sandra tomorrow. If you don't, I'm not making you dinner for a week." Casey turned onto their street, and parked in front of their apartment. Derek groaned, a feeling of dread creeping in his stomach. He stayed in the car after she shut it off and was walking toward their door. He watched her confident and graceful steps on the walkway, and felt his chest tighten and his stomach do a strange flippy thing.

Maybe a date with Sandra would be a good idea. He couldn't very well go hungry for a week.

_tbc._


	2. Sandy Cheeks

Yay. Chapter 2. This fic won't be as long as The Great Escape (which is beginning to near it's end), but that why I'll be able to finish it faster and complete it for you all to read. :]

P.S. Yes... when I watched Spongebob when I was younger, I loved Sandy Cheeks. She was awesome. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much in common with Sandra.

**Disclaimer**: Refer to first chapter, please and thanks. I won't be posting this over and over. :]

**Sandy Cheeks**

"That's it for today, we'll resume on Friday." Sounds of books closing, bags zipping and chairs being moved chorused in the classroom as Derek finished up his last class for the day. He decided to major in commerce at the end of first year, with a minor in theatre and film. With Casey's influence in high school and a lot of coercion on her part, he had managed to pull his grades up and was doing quite well. He still didn't like school very much, but that was the norm. He was going to do what he had to do, that was life.

He shrugged on his scarf and slipped on his warm leather jacket, and proceeded to the exit along with his classmates. When he finally stepped out into the hallway, he felt a hand grip his arm, and immediately he knew it was Casey. No one else had a grip like that. She pulled him from the crowd, and he stumbled into her, looking up at her smiling face. He frowned. She had that look again. He shifted his gaze to her side, and saw Sandra looking down at her feet in a sheepish manner. He resisted the urge to groan when Casey began rubbing her stomach. She really would make good on her threat.

"What a coincidence! Sandra and I were just passing by when we saw you leaving class." Casey's way too enthusiastic smile and demeanour made him itch with contempt. This girl would be the end of him.

"Yeah... real coincidence." Derek said lamely, not wanting to offend Casey's friend. Above all, he was a man for the ladies and he was never one to disappoint.

Sandra smiled at him then, and he smiled back automatically. Casey's smile turned into a satisfied one, knowing his charm would be at work now.

"So... Sandy, how about we go for a drink? The non-alcoholic kind of course." Derek's grin twitched when he thought that he would probably need a beer when he got home and finished pulverizing his step-sister.

"Okay." Sandra spoke up for the first time, and her voice was sweet and quiet. Derek relaxed, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Normally girls were all over him, and while it was clear that Sandra fancied him, she wasn't jumping him.

"I'd love to join you guys, but I've got an interpretive dance class at 4:00 ... that I'm currently almost late for!" Casey looked at her watch, spazzed in typical fashion, and ran down the hall. Derek and Sandra watched her until her form disappeared, and they were alone again.

"Let's go." He said, his voice thick with charm that had Sandra's heart racing. It was a convention known well on campus, if you were a friend of Casey McDonald, you couldn't even spare a glance at Derek Venturi. The bright blue-eyed nineteen year old didn't want her friends scammed by her skirt-chasing cad of a step-brother. It was also retribution for Derek's male code back in their sophomore year in high school. All of Casey's friends found Derek absolutely sexy, and so endearing whenever he was near Casey. They had once surmised that Casey and Derek were together, before they found out that they were step-siblings.

Derek held his arm out, and Sandra shyly linked her arm with his, and he led them out to the Prince. It was snowing lightly and night was already beginning to set. The short Canadian winter days were upon them, and they both admired the snowflakes highlighted by the street lights as they drove past them.

Sandra gazed at Derek jamming to the music on his steering wheel, clearly in his own world. It was a couple weeks ago when Casey confronted her about her feelings for Derek, and how she would be glad to set them up. She was surprised at the suggestion and adamantly refused before Casey's stubborn nature broke her down.

They reached their location, and Derek shut off the car. Sandra got out herself, and fell into step with Derek as they walked into the restolounge. They were seated quickly, and there was a band setting up their equipment for their show that night. Someone was playing piano in the other room, and they settled into the comfortable atmosphere. They both ordered smoothies and Panini's, Derek ordering twice as much in case Casey wasn't pleased and didn't feed him later on.

"Do you mind if I call you Sandy? I forgot to ask earlier." Derek said, watching her shy movements. She was pretty cute in her own way, and Derek nearly forgot about the princess who was currently dancing across town.

Sandra's cheeks warmed at the way Derek said her nickname with familiarity. "Sure, I don't mind." She replied, not looking up at him. He found her shyness endearing, and he figured his presence was intimidating. He would be too if he was sitting with the sexiest guy at Queen's whose best friend was the prettiest and most unattainable girl at Queen's. Don't tell anyone he said that though.

Their food came after a few moments of comfortable quiet, and Derek delved into his Panini's with great vigor. They enjoyed their food in silence, and Derek thought maybe she grew up in a home where they didn't talk during dinner. The band had started playing several minutes later, and their empty plates had been taken away.

They sipped at their smoothies, and Derek watched her.

"So... what are you majoring in?" he asked conversationally.

"Oh, um, Art History." She replied, and went quiet again. He was a bit miffed she didn't return the question, so he prodded again.

"What do you want to do after school then?" he asked again, his smoothie nearly finished.

"Probably work in a museum or go to grad school." Her response was almost automatic, as if she had been asked the question before. The atmosphere suddenly felt strained, and he felt like he was doing something wrong. The cheque came, and he threw a bill down. They had been sitting there for an entire hour, and their conversation was essentially nonexistent. Maybe Sandra was just nervous like he initially thought, but he couldn't help but find her dreadfully boring. He didn't have to process any thought in order to talk to this girl, and she was a robot who only spoke when spoken to.

Why did Casey have to do this to him? He couldn't possibly be happy with a girl who never talked, let alone never spared him a glance. However, he wasn't a total jack ass; he would give her a chance at least. Since Derek Venturi is always a nice guy, especially when you coerce him with lack of food.

He remembered that Sandra was also a new girl to their school, perhaps she was a robot that came along in Casey's spaceship. He had to speculate. They both looked completely normal, but that's how they fooled you. Derek had to admit that having an alien girlfriend would be kind of sweet, but that didn't mean he wanted Casey as a girlfriend either. Robot girlfriend, not so much.

"How about I take you home, Sandra?" he asked, dropping her nickname and his voice usually filled with charm, was somewhat detached.

She smiled lamely, and followed him out of the restaurant to his car, and they had a quiet ride home.

-

He shut the front door as he walked in, and Casey appeared from her room at hearing his entrance. She saw the dark look on his face, and his drooping shoulders.

"How did it go?" she asked, hoping that maybe it wasn't her friend that caused him to be in a bad mood. Derek laughed.

"How did it go you ask? I could hear crickets and there was a live band playing!" Derek exclaimed, exasperatedly. Casey cringed.

"I know she's a little on the quiet side—"

"A little on the extremely boring I could cry side." He retorted, hanging up his jacket in the foyer.

"Oh, you're just being melodramatic Derek." She claimed, her expression disapproving as if she were reprimanding a small child on how to talk. Derek laughed again, and Casey wondered if he was drunk.

"This is rich. Coming from you, the neurotic drama queen?" he snarked, walking over to the fridge to pour himself a drink. Casey glanced toward the window and saw that the snow was falling harder now. The harsh yellow lights of their apartment contrasting with the dark beauty outside. Derek eyed Casey who was clad in hot shorts and a small t-shirt, refusing to acknowledge how attractive she was.

"You can't handle girls who aren't unzipping your fly or who aren't talking about everything underneath the sun." She accused, her eyes narrowing. Derek scoffed.

"I deal with you every day, and you can't _stop _talking. I can clearly handle you too. You're also more than welcome to take part in that other requirement you listed for girls who I can handle." Derek smirked flirtatiously, and Casey recoiled in disgust.

"Call me when you've got your sense back, because you've clearly lost it." Casey snarled, her ire rising. Derek clenched the cooler in his hand, relishing in the warm feeling the alcoholic beverage that was circulating through his system. He didn't want to admit that fighting with Casey was what he looked forward to every day, and he didn't want to admit that fighting with her also beat a date with a hot girl. It was just a rush, trying to beat her with words or trying to gain the upper hand when they wrestled on occasion.

Even if she didn't feed him for the entire week, he could survive just being around her. He was amazed at how different Sandra was from his step-sister, and he thought that Casey's personality probably intimidated her too. Derek looked away then, and put down his half-empty drink.

"So what's your plan, sis? Miss Sandy won't be seeing me ever again if I have anything to do with it, even if I'm a nice guy." He said, putting his foot down. Casey huffed.

"Elizabeth." She said somewhat quietly. Derek raised an eyebrow.

"What about Lizzie?" he asked ignorantly.

"No, not Lizzie, Elizabeth, you know that blonde friend I have from biology." She said, smiling at him. Derek hated that mischievous smile. It never meant anything good for him.

"What's the catch, McDonald?" he asked, walking over to her and stopping so close to her that he could see the tiny freckles sprinkled on her nose.

"No more post-hockey massages." Derek's eyes widened.

"No, no, anything but that. Casey I need those," his complained, his voice whiny. "Hockey's been so tough this semester." He almost cried.

"I own you, Venturi. Do as I say, or else." She smirked at him, something she learned from him, and he refused to think about how much her behaviour turned him on.

He wasn't sure how all of this was going to unfold, and he was almost scared to find out.

_tbc._


	3. Elizabeth Turner

Thanks for all the lovely reviews! I'm just as excited as you are to see where this goes. What's the real reason Casey is playing matchmaker? Hmm, we'll have to see. :] This is meant to be more of a humorous story rather than dramatic, so I might change the genre. :P

P.S. Elizabeth Turner a.k.a Keira Knightley a la Pirates. I didn't like her character very much in the third movie, sigh.

**Elizabeth Turner**

"Dude, you are so whipped."

Derek shrugged off his shoulder pads after a touch practice. He had just made captain, and the coach was really giving it to him that day. Derek ran a hand through his damp hair, and ignored the tightness in his back muscles. He didn't want to think about Casey's dirty tricks that were especially underhanded lately. First food, and now her amazing massages that were complete with body oil? It was going way too far.

Derek shot his teammate a dirty look, and set his mouth into a frown.

"How am I whipped exactly? I don't even have a girlfriend." He grunted, and shoved his gear in his locker. He picked up a fluffy white towel and wrapped it around his neck. He turned his bare torso slightly to ease the kinks in his back, and he sighed heavily.

"She might as well be your girlfriend." His teammate responded under his breath, shutting his locker. Derek suddenly knew he was talking about Casey. He knew Brandon was interested in Casey, but no one really dared to approach her because of Derek's rather overprotective nature that he played off as a caring brother thing.

"What do you mean by that man?" Derek grinned, and slapped Brandon on the back, "The girl might as well be a guy. And, she doesn't have me whipped." He reassured him confidently.

"Oh yeah, so what's this on campus about her setting you up with her friends?" Brandon raised an eyebrow. Derek closed his eyes briefly. Of course everyone, at least in their year, would've heard about this by now. Everyone had bets on which friend Derek would actually end up with, while other more low key bets were betting on when Derek would finally dabble in the taboo.

"It's just one of Casey's silly shticks that she gets obsessed with for a little while. I'm just, um, humouring her really." Derek smiled nervously, feeling his tough guy rep unravelling at the seams.

"That's not what she said." Brandon replied in a song-song voice. Derek groaned.

"Just get in the shower man, your stench among other things is getting on my nerves." Derek groused, and sat down on the locker bench. He really was going to pulverize his step-sister.

-

"Has your inability to stop talking finally caused the world to implode?" Derek's gruff comment caught Casey's attention. It was early in the morning, and she was making them scrambled eggs and bacon. It wasn't real bacon, but Derek didn't have to know that. The gullible sap.

"What's got your boxers in a twist this time, D?" Casey smiled at him, and he glared at her in response.

"The so-called twisting of my boxers is a result of your chatterbox, Case." He said, "What are you telling everyone about this ... thing you're doing." He refused to call it match making. It made him feel like he was twelve and he didn't like the idea of being regarded as a child by Casey.

"I'm just honest, _babe. _I got asked, and I told. Simple as that." She responded, the matter-of-fact lilt in her tone irritating him and twisting his proverbial boxers even more, causing him to shift in his seat.

"Ever heard of don't kiss and tell?" he retorted, gulping down his orange juice in one breath. She sighed a long sigh, and sat down next to him, leaning over him and placing a napkin on his lap. He rolled his eyes, and swiped the napkin from his lap and threw it into the sink. He tried not to think about how good she smelled.

"I'm not doing any of the kissing, though I wonder if Elizabeth will get lucky tonight." Casey's expression was hopeful and he reached over to ruffle her hair.

"We'll see. You know, you're a pain in the ass sometimes." he flashed her a fake smile.

"I love you too, Derek." Casey said in a mocking tone.

"Priss."

"Moron."

He huffed and stood up to put away his plates, before getting ready for his classes that day.

-

The night was cold and crisp, the occasional breeze biting and unfriendly. Derek was parked outside of Elizabeth's house, and he stood by the Prince with his hands in his pockets. In a few hours, he'd be back home in his bed in his room next to Casey's and he would be alright. He just had to deal with this, and his massages wouldn't have to be taken away. Derek pouted slightly at the thought, and stood up straight when he heard a door open.

He saw Elizabeth standing there in a red dress and black tights, and he was taken aback at how pretty she was. She possessed a lot of grace in her stance, and he couldn't help but smile at her. She was a tall girl and she walked towards him with confidence, a small smile on her face. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders, and her green eyes shone at him. Maybe this would actually be a good night, and she seemed to be less shy than Silent Sandy.

"Shall we?" he asked softly, opening the car door for her. She giggled softly, and covered her mouth. He found the action adorable, and he closed the door gently after she got in and buckled up.

"So, where do you want to go?" she asked, in a friendly tone that had a hint of an English accent. Derek's eyebrows rose in pleasant surprise.

Normally girls just followed him wherever he went, and Casey would order him to go wherever she wanted. But here was a girl that was actually asking him what he wanted. He laughed charmingly, and started the car, warming it up.

"Wherever you want to go babe, it's your night tonight." He smiled flirtatiously, flipping on some music.

She suggested a good vegetarian restaurant that was on the Queen's campus, and they talked amicably in the car on the way there. She was interesting, beautiful and her accent was oh so attractive. Maybe Casey had finally done a good thing.

Derek was a bit embarrassed however, since he noticed a strange scent in the car. He figured it was something old underneath a seat, or maybe his hockey jersey. Elizabeth never commented on it, and he relaxed knowing that if she had noticed it, she was cool enough not to mention it and seemed to still enjoy his company.

When they got to the restaurant, they opted to sit on the same side of the booth, and the date atmosphere suddenly intensified. Derek threw his arm around her shoulders and she cuddled into him. He smirked.

He was still noticing a strange scent, and he wondered if it was him. He covertly sniffed himself and found that it wasn't him. Elizabeth was telling him about her pet dog she had left back in England years ago, and he realized it. It was her, and her breath! He noticed she didn't smell of anything particular either, and he didn't want to know what her underarms or the rest of her smelled like if he was close enough.

Derek carefully removed his arm from her, saying he had to go to the bathroom. He really was going to kill Casey.

He stood in the hallway of the washrooms, and he quickly dialled Casey's number on his phone.

"Why are you calling me in the middle of your date, Derek?" Casey's annoyed voice flowed through the receiver, and Derek growled.

"Your precious friend suffers from hailiosis or whatever." He grunted, his grip on the phone tightening.

"What the hell is that? You mean halitosis?" Casey asked, feeling sorry for her step-brother suddenly. She hadn't noticed Elizabeth's problem before, they didn't know each other for very long. How did Derek find out so quickly?

"Yeah, and thank god I didn't kiss and won't have to tell anyone anything. This conversation never gets out." Casey sighed with relief, as least he didn't have to find out that way.

"Well, just... I don't know, come home or something. Did you guys eat already?" she asked, making her own dinner in their apartment.

"Not yet..." he sighed, "I guess I'll stay until we're done, since you'll probably withhold my massages if I don't." He mumbled.

"Yup, that's right!" she chirped.

"I hate you."

"I'm touched, really." Came her sarcastic retort and he ended the call angrily. The nerve of that woman.

-

Derek shut the door, in the same manner he had after his date with Sandra. Would this torment ever end? He had to sit with Smelly Beth for another half an hour before he eventually just said that 'something came up and he had to leave'. Forget Casey's massages, he shouldn't have to be subjected to toxic warfare in the form of offending fumes.

"De-rek! What did you do?!" Casey came running out of the bathroom, clad only in a towel, her hair wet and dripping water droplets onto her skin. His mouth became dry and he took a step back.

"Put on some clothes you freak!" he covered his eyes but left spaces between his fingers so that he could still look at her. He didn't think about why he was doing that though. She walked up in front of them so that there were merely inches separating their bodies.

"Elizabeth just called me and told me you bailed, what was our agreement?" she snarled in his face, and Derek was so relieved knowing that at least his favourite step-sister took care of her hygiene. Her natural scent and the lavender of her body wash wafted up to his nose and he felt at ease.

"Forget it, Case. I couldn't stand it anymore! I'm beginning to think you're just playing some sick joke on me. Well, ha ha." He crossed his arms.

Casey crossed her arms too, challenging him. He relaxed then, and enveloped her in a hug, smelling her hair. He smiled.

"What's up with you Venturi?" Casey struggled out of his grasp.

"Oh, just getting you dirty all over again." He grinned when his words sunk in and Casey screeched. He wasn't affected by her loud decibels; she had blown his eardrums years ago with her constant freak outs. His appointment for a new hearing aid was next week.

"Nevermind all that," she calmed down and waved her hand as if to brush their earlier conversation to the side, "Are you up for girl number three?"

As much as he hated it, Casey was making this into a challenge. And Derek Venturi never backed down from a challenge.

_tbc._


	4. Saint Catherine

I'm having so much fun with this, and your amazing reviews make it that much funner ... er, more fun. :P In the next chapter (5), they go back to London and certain things may be revealed. :0

P.S. St. Catherines is a city in southern Ontario, near Niagara Falls and MarineLand. It's nice there. :]

**Saint Catherine**

It was early December now, and most of the campus was getting itchy with dread and excitement because it would soon be exam time and after that, it would be Christmas. It was a strange feeling that Derek hadn't yet gotten used to, but he was looking forward to seeing the family again. At least there, Casey wouldn't be able to keep up with her shenanigans. ... At least he hoped she wouldn't.

He sighed heavily as he entered the locker rooms and dropped his gear on the bench casually, his expression none too happy. He slipped off his shirt, and his teammate who had just entered let out a low whistle.

"Dude, where did you get those bruises from?" Brandon asked, inspecting the small patches on Derek's upper back. He found it odd that Derek also looked unusually shiny. Derek wasn't the type nor was he especially metro sexual that he moisturized. Suddenly it clicked.

"I don't want to talk about it man." Came Derek's broken voice.

"Trouble in paradise eh?" Brandon whooped and made cat calls, alerting the rest of the teammates now entering of their conversation that was heating up. Derek threw Brandon a look, trying to silence him but to no avail.

"This is why I don't do nice. I do it, and I get all of this in return." Derek growled, and screamed Casey's name in his mind, thinking of ways he could kill her without anyone noticing anything. He threw his towel over his shoulder, and walked over to the showers, ignoring the lewd comments the boys made – including how Derek got completely owned by a girl.

_Last Night. _

While Derek Venturi was always up for a challenge, it didn't mean he couldn't inflict some emotional warfare on the young princess that slept in the room next to his. If he could catch her off guard with a nice action, maybe she would lessen the punishment she gave him every time one of her friends failed in... let's say capturing his attention.

Robotic and malodorous girl friends aside, he thought about a way to truly impress Casey. He would make his famous Derek Delight dinner, and he would set up their table with scented candles that he got her for her birthday and loved. He added his finishing touches by putting a couple fake flowers on the table, (what, it's not like he'd blow his wallet for this) and putting on some soft music.

Casey came in minutes later and was very touched by the scene that she started to tear up, and Derek resisted rolling his eyes at her girlishness.

"Derek, I don't know what to say." Casey said after a few moments. Derek faked a shocked look.

"Alert the presses, I've finally managed to make Casey McDonald speechless." He said sarcastically, but a smile playing on his lips. He took a moment to look down at the table and back at her, and he didn't acknowledge how date-like the scene was. Casey narrowed her eyes and punched him in a familiar area on his arm, but couldn't stop smiling none the less.

"Is this your Derek Delight that George and my mom were raving about?" she asked, sitting down at the table after Derek, shockingly, pulled out the chair for her before he sat down.

"Yup, the last time I made it was the night you broke up with Truman. I knew for sure you wouldn't be down for dinner." He grinned angelically at her, and she huffed.

"De-rek! That's mean." Her voice dropped into a childish whiny voice that always made him feel guilty and made him wonder why she was so adorable. He just laughed at her to calm her frayed nerves, and he watched her relax.

"But seriously, so glad you broke up with that scumbag. He wasn't worth it." He said, picking up his fork and taking a bite of the still steaming food. Casey perked up suddenly, and her eyes glittered.

"He wasn't worth what?" Casey responded in a soft voice that made him look up at her. He could almost see a glow around Casey, casted from the candles in front of her. Her blue eyes were so deep and he sucked in a breath as his chest felt tight. He couldn't identify the feeling and it scared him, he'd never felt like this before.

"He wasn't worth it for you, Case. He was an idiot and he didn't deserve you. You're..." he started, but bit his lip when he realized what he just said sounded like. Casey's eyes widened and she smiled gently, reaching over and putting her hand on his, effectively stopping his speech. She knew he hated talking about her boyfriends, but she didn't really know why.

Derek smiled gratefully and they continued their dinner in comfortable silence, occasionally stealing glances at each other. _Every time she looks at me, this weird feeling gets intense. Don't tell me I... ha ha, ridiculous. _He gulped down his juice nervously.

"You know, Case... hockey was really hard on me yesterday..." He started, a smirk forming on his lips. Casey sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I knew there was a catch." She drawled, her voice lacking all the affection it had moments ago.

"Caseyy..." Derek whined, and pouted at her, "Pretty please?" he asked, and he felt terribly emasculated. Casey took the last bite of his Delight slowly, making him wait with baited breath. She took the last sip of her drink, and folded her hands over the table.

"Fine, but be ready in three minutes or else!" she warned, standing up from the table suddenly, "Oh, and you're washing all the dishes for the next week, you're not getting off scot-free for the Elizabeth thing." She announced, and Derek groaned. At least his plan wasn't a complete fail.

-

"Ungh, Casey... that feels so good." Derek groaned into his pillow as Casey sat atop the small of his back, grinding her small but powerful hands into his skin, the warm body oil softening his tense muscles.

He refused to admit that he always felt somewhat turned on when Casey did this for him, but what young, fertile, college guy wouldn't be turned on by a girl sitting on them and giving them a massage? Step-sisters were always included... uh, they were right?

Casey smiled as she worked on a particular tense muscle beneath his neck, and listened to his breathing as it became increasingly laboured. Knowing that she could turn her best friend on like this gave her a thrill and satisfied her knowledge that she wasn't completely hopeless in terms of guys. She always seemed to forget the little tidbit that they were kind of related, but hey, what young, fertile, college girl doesn't like the sight of a beautiful toned broad back?

Derek shifted slightly, and she frowned. "Am I too heavy, Derek?" she asked idly.

"Yeah, did you like gain weight since the last time we did this?" he said blithely and she stiffened.

"What was that?" she gritted her teeth and felt her anger boiling. Derek froze. Oh, shit. Rule number one, never call a girl fat. Rule number two, never call a girl fat when she is on top of you and you cannot defend yourself. Rule number three, if you do call a girl fat, who is on top of you or otherwise: deny deny deny.

"N-nothing, I um, I didn't say anything. It must've been the wind." He said, swallowing.

"Derek, the window is closed and your bedroom door is shut. Therefore, there is no wind in the vicinity. But you know what is? My fist." Casey threatened in a growling voice, and he thought sparingly that if any other girl growled at him like that, she would currently be under him receiving Derek Delight: the bedroom version.

"Now Cassandra, I ask that you take a few deep breaths and calm down before somebody gets hurt." He said in a steady voice, that was meant to calm her down but riled her up even more.

"The only person who's going to get hurt is you, but you don't even count as a human being you jerk!" Her first blow landed on his shoulder, hard.

"Ow! Casey, be gentle. And since when do you count as a human being?" He patronized, but her punch had actually hurt. He thought briefly to high school when she defended him against the Fridge (not an actual fridge, just a guy who was as tall and weighed as much as one), and he wondered if she could've actually taken him on. Not that he would've allowed the guy to lay a single finger on her.

"You're such a jerk, I can't believe you said that. Am I an idiot for setting you up with my friends? I thought maybe you were a decent guy but you're just a narcissistic slob who can't follow the unwritten rules of guy girl relations. I mean, really..." Ah, so girls were aware of the rules too.

Her incessant rambles as she pounded him were slowly killing Derek. He once said that he would pulverize his step-sister, yet she stepped up to the plate before he could do a thing. The difference between them was that he could never actually hurt her, but here she was, speeding up the date of his funeral. Ah! That's it!

"You're being awfully sexist right now, Case." He spoke up, his voice slightly broken after taking quite a beating for the last five minutes. She froze. Jackpot.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her resolve wavering.

"You're the most neurotic, prissy, irritating drama queen I've ever had the chance to know, and do you see me taking hits at you?" he asked, finally turning around and making Casey's flop over onto the bed. He wondered idly why he didn't just do that before, which then made him wonder if he was some sort of masochist that liked getting hit by hot girls.

He really needed to stop this thing where all of his thoughts led to the conclusion that Casey was undeniably hot.

Casey bristled. "Excuse me, but I'm a girl, so you can never hit me. It's just like, another unwritten rule. ... I suppose it's a law as well." She said haughtily.

Derek smiled, his eyes mischievous. "Ah, Casey, Casey, Casey. Why is it fair for you to hit me then? I'm going to have not only physical bruises, but emotional scars that will last me a life time." Casey frowned, and rolled her eyes at his obvious bluff.

"Spare me the girly tears, D." Derek faked a shocked expression.

"There you go again with the sexism! I'm really disappointed in you."

"Shove it, Venturi."

"All you needed to do was ask, babe." His voice dropping a few octaves and he wriggled his eyebrows. This made Casey laugh, and she pushed him, making him land flat on his back where he winced. She suddenly felt bad about her assault, and was about to assist him when he spoke up.

"You're not fat though, you have really nice curves. At least you're a chatterbox and not as smelly as Smelly Beth." He said, not thinking about his words.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?!" she screeched, and began punching at his chest.

_Present day._

Derek groaned for the umpteenth time in the shower, thinking of ways to skip out on the hockey practice that was sure to be as painful as Casey's assault.

-

To not further incur Casey's wrath, he agreed to go out on a date with her friend Catherine a few days later. Apparently she was a girl who volunteered at the hospital in her free time, and ran many fundraisers for different causes. She was known as a saint on campus even though she was only in first year, and Derek thought that it would be a nice change to be with a girl who could cause no harm. He went to her residence to pick her up, and ignored the stares of the other girls looking at him appreciatively. It soothed his bruised maleness, and he smiled.

Sitting on the common room couch, he felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up. That... wasn't Catherine was it?

This girl was nearly his height, and he was 6 feet tall. She had broad shoulders and narrow hips and he wondered how common it was to meet transgendered students. He digressed however, and he was sure that said... female was a girl.

"Hey, Cathy..." he said nervously, and she slapped him on the shoulder jovially.

"Hey Derek, Casey's told me a lot about you." Her voice was surprisingly sweet, and he relaxed a little. Maybe he should cast aside his shallow beliefs about what a girl should look like, and take her seriously.

"Oh, I hope she said good things." Derek said, smiling a little at her, and leading her downstairs to the Prince.

"No, not really. But you're a cutie, so it makes up for it." She chuckled... which was more of a cackle and Derek winced, his already delicate ears taking a beating. Derek laughed nervously in kind, and could feel Casey sitting atop his shoulder and telling him he should be more of a gentleman.

"So, where do you want to go out?" he asked, slipping into the driver's seat and waited until she buckled up to start the car.

"Let's go to a bar or something, I'm not really in the mood for the whole awkward restaurant thing." And Derek gave her a genuine smile, he couldn't agree more.

They arrived shortly after, and sat down at a table, ordering small appetizers and a couple beers. They had a nice conversation about hockey and the next fundraiser she would be planning, and urged him to join in. He had a thought that maybe Casey would like that, so he agreed readily and they raised their beers and drank to it.

After another 45 minutes of talking about school and family and other conversation fillers, they were both starting to feel the effects of the beer. Music began to play, and there was a small dance floor off in the corner.

"Hey, let's dance!" Catherine giggled excitedly, and pulled on Derek's hand without giving him a chance to respond. Despite her height, he found dancing with her kind of fun. He didn't think about how it would be kind of awkward to slow dance with her, so he enjoyed the fast music. He quickly changed his thought however, when he felt his feet lose contact with the ground and his head collide with a shoulder.

She lifted him.

Um, what?

"W-what a-are you doing, C-Cathy?" he hissed, swallowing nervously. She laughed and twirled him, and a crowd began to gather, some laughing at Derek's predicament. He felt completely and utterly emasculated and he prayed to god that no one there attended Queen's. They were far enough away from the campus, and no one really dared to mess with him, but he couldn't help but be concerned.

"Derek, relax! Isn't it fun to be the one lifted once in a while?"

"Heh, not especially." Derek shut his eyes.

Casey was a dead woman.

-

Derek shut the door, and walked in, slumping to the ground in defeat. It was official. Casey had finally driven him mental after 6 years.

"How did the date go?" Casey walked up to him, and stood in front of him as he sat by the shoes, watching him as he pouted slightly.

"I don't want to talk about it. I'm not leaving this house except for exams, hockey and when we go back to London, alright? I... I don't want to face anymore potential humiliation." He said, his voice broken.

Casey bent down, and looked at him in the eyes. She cupped his face, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Derek felt his chest flutter with that weird feeling again, and he looked up at her in confusion.

"Just thought it'd make you feel better." She said simply, smiling.

It didn't matter if Casey could beat him up, and make him feel like less of a man. At least at the end of the day, she would be the wonderful woman she was and cheer him up in the simplest of ways. Because only she knew how.

He grasped her hand that was still on his face, and he smiled warmly at her.

"Thanks, Case."

He got up then, and went to his room, not noticing her lingering stare as he left her.

That weird feeling was getting stronger every day, and just then, it felt like he couldn't breathe because of it. He had a sinking suspicion he knew what was happening, and he frowned. She was his best friend, and he couldn't ruin their friendship... but above all, she was his step-sister.

He really... loved her; but as a friend. Maybe they were just getting closer and he was confusing those feelings with something else. He sincerely hoped he was.

_tbc. _


	5. Emily Roberts

Did I tell you guys how much I love playing with Derek's character? He's just... so adorable and/or sexy in anything he does. I love the reviews, keep them coming! They really give me courage to keep writing. :D

P.S. Emily Roberts is a main character on another Canadian show called Student Bodies that aired just over ten years ago, it was great! ... Ten years, that makes me feel old.

**Emily Roberts**

"Derek, you are losing it!" Edwin exclaimed, looking up at his brother with wide eyes. His older brother and step-sister just came home for Christmas, and after much bribery, he managed to get Derek to tell him the story of Casey's recent shtick.

He noticed Derek's rather downtrodden expression and Casey's demeanor that seemed to be interestingly upbeat. Immediately he was on the case, with his trusty partner Lizzie McDonald who was currently interviewing the other subject beyond the wall in said subject's room.

"This completely defies the laws of the McDonald-Venturi household! The prankee can't become the pranker!" Edwin cried out, and Derek plastered his hand on Edwin's mouth to hush him. After much thought over the last few weeks, Derek could not for the life of him believe Casey's little speech about wanting him to be happy.

Granted, they were closer now but he had just enough of feel good family moments, which were still only allowed annually. Even if her form of being a caring _sister _was setting him on up the worst dates in history, it was beginning to smell fishy or some other odd-smelling substance. Maybe molasses.

"Have you kept up with the inspection?" Derek asked, tapping his hand on Edwin's head in deep thought. Edwin rolled his eyes, and felt a little like nothing had changed in the last few years. Both he and Lizzie were older but their older siblings still treated them like they were stuck in time.

"After many failed searches of her room, I've spread the forces to other areas in the house." Edwin responded, sounding very professional.

"And just who comprises these forces of yours?" Derek stopped the tapping of his hand to look at his little brother with a dark look.

"Erm, Marti and Sir-Monks-A-Lot?" Edwin squeaked.

"How are Marti and her stuffed monkey going to help you find Casey's spaceship?! Focus Edwin! Oh, and while you're doing that focusing thing, make me a sandwich." Derek groused, flopping down on his bed.

Yup, stuck in time.

-

"It's good to see you too, Liz." Casey drawled sarcastically, after getting the third degree from her little sister. Lizzie smiled prettily, and gave Casey a quick hug as a welcome home/apology.

"But seriously Casey, did you finally get him back?" Lizzie asked eagerly, and watched as Casey unloaded her bag's contents onto the prim lavender bed. Casey smiled, a devious glint in her eye.

"Get who back, sis?" she tried to play coy, but failed miserably.

"That's cute, but you couldn't be mean or covert if you tried, Case. – Oh and don't try to tell me covert is your middle name, 'cause it just ain't."

"Isn't, and I was not going to do any such thing!" Casey exclaimed and pouted, sitting on her bed, and watched as Lizzie sat next to her.

"Let's try this again. Derek is..." Lizzie gestured with her hand for Casey to fill in the missing blanks in her sentence. Casey's expression softened at the utterance of Derek's name, and Lizzie being as perceptive as she is was caught off guard. She made a mental note of the development.

"Derek is _Derek._" Casey said standoffishly, but a small smile playing on her lips. Lizzie raised her eyebrows, and waited for her to continue as she surely would.

"But if you must know... I'm not trying to get him back for anything, Derek is my dearest friend now, and you know that." Casey got up, and began arranging her drawers, looking to see if Derek managed to steal her underwear in the short time they'd been home.

"If you say so, Case. But the walls have ears!" Lizzie finished lamely and excused herself. She had to compare notes with Edwin to get the big picture.

-

"Hey, princess."

"Hey, jerk."

"Off to your princely duties then?" Derek jabbed sarcastically.

They met at the crossroads between their rooms at the top of the stairs, and they both crossed their arms in a death match of who could stare with narrowed eyes the longest. Derek's eye twitched and Casey raised her eyebrow, as if to say Derek couldn't last.

"Are you off to your... jerkly duties?" Casey frowned, and beat herself up for sounding so lame in front of Derek. She had a bad tendency of doing that. Derek resisted the urge to laugh at her, and didn't think about how sexy she looked when she challenged him.

Okay, he _really _needed to stop doing that.

Derek scoffed and then after a moment, pouted, effectively drawing Casey's attention from his eyes to his mouth. He liked that a lot. Okay, stop!

"Ahem, well, you can stand here being all lame and shizz, but I gotta eat." He said gruffly, and shoved her with his shoulder slightly before going down the stairs.

"Hey, I'm cool!" Casey shouted down at the stairs to no one in particular, and faltered in her stance when she saw Marti in the corner of her eye.

"Smasey?" Casey smiled down at the little girl who wasn't so little anymore, but still had her beloved stuffed monkey in hand.

"Yes Marti?" she asked gently, bending down to her level.

"Where did you put your spaceship?" Marti asked, a serious and curious expression on her now slender face. Casey leaned her head to the side in confusion.

"Spaceship?"

"Yeah, Edwin said that Derek said that you're an alien and that it'd be really cool to find what you came to Earth in." Casey smiled, her lips trembling in anger. She smoothed down Marti's hair tenderly.

"Marti honey, please cover your ears for a moment." Marti complied, holding her hands over her ears, her monkey forgotten on the floor.

"DE-REK!!"

-

Later that night, after dinner, all the kids had retired to their rooms and Casey was busy preparing for the next semester. The girl never took a break really.

"Casey, Emily's here to see you!" she heard her mother call from down below. Before she got to her bedroom door, Derek swung it open with a terrified look on his face.

"If you think I'm going on a date with Emily, you my friend, are sadly mistaken!" he pointed his index finger at her, and she grabbed it, brushing it aside lightly.

"You amuse me Venturi, but you forget that I own you," she smiled but her eyes were mischievous, "I don't know about Emily, but I won't wash your hair for you for a month the next time you mess up." Her smile turned sickeningly sweet and his eyes widened in horror.

"Casey, that's a low blow." He gritted his teeth. She just shrugged.

"All is fair in love and war." She said plainly, and walked downstairs to greet Emily.

"Casey!" he cursed to himself in a low breath and going to take a colder than normal shower, for an odd reason that he wasn't going to bother identifying. He craved for when Casey washed his hair, her long fingers massaging his head, her body in such close proximity to his, the tantalizing smell of the her and the shampoo. He shuddered, and turned the temperature in the shower a bit colder.

-

"Em! It's been so long, how long has it been?" Casey screeched excitedly, hugging her dearest friend high school. Emily squeezed the daylights out of Casey, screeching just as happily.

"Since summer girl, which means it's been way too long." She joked, shrugging off her jacket.

"Hey, let's go to my room! We'll get some dessert later." Casey said, dragging Emily up the stairs. They were seated on her bed, and talking about school, hair and makeup, and all of the other drivel girls went through before they got to the good stuff.

"So... have you told him yet?" Emily asked, perusing through Casey's eye shadow collection sitting on her nightstand.

"Wait, what are we talking about?" Casey asked, genuinely confused. She'd been going on about her Shakespearian elective class for the past five minutes before Emily interrupted her.

"Derek, obviously." Emily grinned, and pounced on Casey when her mouth dropped open from disbelief, "I mean, you've been living together for like what, a year now?" Emily exaggerated. It had only been 4 months more or less.

"Emily, heh, I don't know what you're talking about." Casey said lamely, her eyes wandering. Emily rolled her own eyes.

"Come on Case, I know you've been crus—" Casey jumped up and went to get an old shirt from her drawer. Emily looked at her curiously, wondering what the nutcase was up to this time. Racing toward the vent, Casey taped the shirt to the wall with florescent pink tape, effectively cutting off Derek's potential eavesdropping.

They heard a distant "Damnit, Casey, too smart for her own good" from the next room.

"I guess that means you haven't." Emily drawled lazily, a hint of humour in her tone.

"I don't get it, I haven't told anyone about this." Casey sighed, falling onto the bed dramatically, "I didn't want to tell anyone about this, especially Derek." She whined painfully.

Emily looked on in concern, "Even though I liked Derek for years, I'm totally fine with this. You guys are like, perfect for each other." Casey looked at her then, her expression hopeful but then falling after a fraction of a second.

"I am relieved to hear that... but he's my best friend, not to mention my step-brother. Say that he did like me back, what happens if we get together and the family hates it? We'll break up, and I'll have not only lost a boyfriend but a best friend too." Casey explained, her eyes glistening with tears. It was obvious she'd been struggling with this. It was also obvious that she didn't just like Derek Venturi, but was falling deep.

"You really love him, don't you?" Emily asked softly, rubbing Casey's back in an attempt to comfort her. Casey just nodded.

"That's why I..." she started.

"That's why you've been setting him up, classic Casey psychology." Emily laughed, gathering Casey into a hug.

"How do you know about that, and what do you mean?" Casey seemed genuinely puzzled as she sniffed her tears away.

"Oh, Sandra told me about your weird plan that's got Queen's all a buzzin'. And girl, I majored in Casey psychology in high school. You figure if you can't be with Derek, you want him to find happiness and a real relationship with someone else." Emily's all powerful voice of reason (gossip) spoke and Casey was impressed yet again.

"Emily, you never cease to amaze me. Do you still keep that notebook of yours?"

"No, now I keep my info in various excel spreadsheets. It's 2010 after all, gotta get updated." She said, and they both laughed.

-

The two college sophomore girls were enjoying ice cream in the kitchen at 10 pm when Derek sauntered down the stairs. Before he got there, Emily leaned over and whispered in Casey's ear.

"This is just for fun, but wanna mess with Derek's head?" Emily asked. Casey looked back at her friend, and grinned, nodding imperceptibly as to not let Derek notice.

"Hey D! Take Emily out for a while, her uh, parents aren't due back home yet and you don't want her all along during the holiday season." Casey laid it on a little thick, but Emily smiled at Derek as if nothing was up all the same. Derek's eyes widened, and he threw a death glare at his step-sister. He clenched and unclenched his fists.

"...Fine, should be fun." He gritted his teeth, and went back upstairs to get dressed.

"Give him hell, Em." Casey laughed evilly, even scaring Emily a little bit.

"The prankee really has become the pranker." Emily commented, picking up her purse. Casey just shrugged her shoulders innocently.

"But seriously, are you going to tell him?" Emily asked, her expression sober. Casey looked down then, mulling it over in her head. She had to admit that not telling him was making her nuttier than usual, and that lately it seemed as if something was changing between them.

"Maybe, I'll see. I have to think about it." Casey answered seriously, hugging her friend before sending her off.

"Good, because I need new data." Emily quipped, going off to join Derek as he held the front door open. As Emily left through the door, Derek gave one last lingering look at Casey, and she looked back at him. Despite all the trouble she was giving him, he couldn't help but give her a warm smile and then shut the door.

Casey bit her lip, her heart fluttering like crazy. Should she tell him, or should she play it safe?

_tbc._

_A/N: To clear any confusion, Derek nor Casey are actually naked when she washes his hair... but I'm sure that would change should certain things happen. ;]  
_


	6. Casey McDizzle: Part II

Hey guys! Thank you once again for all the reviews, keep it up! I love to hear your responses about the torture I'm giving Derek. Tables might turn though. ;] This is a shorter chapter that comprises of only one scene, more of a bridge to the next sort of arc of the story.

Enjoy! :]

**Casey McDizzle: Part II**

"Hmm..." Derek intercepted Casey before she could run up the stairs to her bedroom, circling her like an animal it's prey with inquisitive and mischievous eyes.

"Hmmmm..." Derek said again in an annoying continuous tone that grated on Casey's nerves. She put one slender hand on her hip, and looked at her nails absent-mindedly.

"Is there something you need, Derek?" she asked, not even sparing him a glance. Derek was surely losing it, even her bored voice and irritated demeanour turned him on. He absently wondered if Casey was incorporating aphrodisiacs in the food she gave him.

On one hand, that was sexy. On the other, that was just plain weird. She was a preppy prude who would stare blankly at you if you said a word like 'dildo', while he would just fall into laughter. And no, he didn't consider that a maturity vs. immaturity thing.

Other than that, she was related to him in a way that they both occasionally forgot to acknowledge, and the notion of cooking each other aphrodisiacs usually didn't fall into the mix.

"The question is," Derek stopped circling her, and stood behind her, whispering in her ear, "Isn't there something you need, Casey?" as soon as he said her name, his voice dropped in a husky tone that made her visibly shiver. He was highly amused by this. For two weeks after his date from hell with Emily, Casey had refrained from setting him up with any other girls. It was strange really, but he refused to bring it up lest she start again.

It was New Year's Eve, and they both decided they didn't want to hook up with an old high school friend and just stay home with each other. Derek teased that it was because no one at Thompson high would bother even considering spending the best night of the year with her, to which she delivered him a quick kick to the shin.

"De-rek! Please don't breathe all of your icky Derek germs on me." She whined grasping her ear, but the breathy quality of her voice said otherwise.

"Hm." Derek said curtly, raising his eyebrow. He imperceptibly ran a hand down her side, landing at the small of her back, and he watched as she became so rigid, that she would probably fall over if he poked her. He seriously considered the thought, but then she would probably fake the need to get crutches and order him around for the rest of their holidays. He got the feeling something like that happened before. But they had manipulated each other so much over the years that it all became somewhat blurred into a giant, but perfect, mess of their odd relationship.

Casey finally melted in her stance, and turned around to face him, her face completely flushed. He was taken aback by her expression, and he felt himself smirking. She wasn't... attracted to him was she?

"Casey, Casey, Casey. Just what am I going to do with you?" he asked, crossing his arms arrogantly.

"W-what do you mean?" she asked back, her eyes narrowing, half from fear and half from knowing Derek was surely up to something.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Even a prude like you." He said the last five words as if he were talking to a child with an odd sing-song intonation.

"I am so not a prude, Venturi. How many girls have you slept with again?" Casey's own smirk appeared on her face. She caught him off guard with that one. The disadvantage of being close with the angel from hell was that she knew a lot more about him than he cared to remember.

"So what if it was only one girl? I blew her away," to which Casey scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Besides, Miss Casey, you wouldn't even know about that." He said finally, back in the ring. Casey bristled.

"What's your point?!" she pointed her finger at him, "And get to it!" she demanded, pretending to be not afraid.

"It all makes perfect sense now." He began, his smirk unwavering. Casey's eyes widened and she held her breath in trepidation, wondering if Derek knew about her feelings. He would just make fun of her and tell she was out of her mind.

"Well?" she said, urging him to continue on this tirade that was sure to cause a spazzing according to Casey psychology.

"Well, despite popular belief, you are a woman. And you are most certainly not my sister." He said, and they both froze. They were taken back to that late-night conversation in the kitchen that they had, before they went to Queens. Even though they said the words that implied they would consider themselves related, neither of them ever believed it and this... was the first time either of them uttered it out loud. Casey tried not to gape at him, and ignored the rampant fluttering in her chest. She regained composure shortly after.

"So, what of it? Although, I'm proud that you can state simple facts without blanking." She said indignantly, making him relax.

"Whatever, Spacey. The facts are that you're a girl, and I'm simply an irresistible guy. I understand if you can't help yourself." Derek almost laughed at her expression that was a cross between a goldfish and... something that didn't have eyelids, because she wasn't blinking at all. What, it's not like he's not taking creative writing or thought classes. You come up with something that doesn't have eyelids.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she sputtered, pointing her finger in his chest, poking at it.

"You know exactly what I mean. So what are you going to do about it?" Derek asked, his eyes dark and glittering with delight and something else she couldn't quite place. She would be getting ahead of herself if she identified it as desire, but oh, she wouldn't be getting ahead of herself at all.

Derek would be an idiot to not realize that Casey was the prettiest and sexiest girl he knew. He had thought so on so many different occasions, even when she had that green gunk on her face, but he never wanted to acknowledge it before. She would also be the perfect girlfriend, she was intelligent, could keep up with him and didn't take crap from him. He once thought that he was feeling this way about her because they were only becoming closer as friends, but Derek of all people, would score an A+ in social situations.

He didn't want to ruin their friendship with this... crush that he was having, and one that he was sure would go away after a while. But it didn't mean he couldn't play with her and make her flustered. He was delighted to find however, that Casey herself might just be suffering from the same random crush that he was having.

"I don't understand your question, and I'm simply not going to respond to it." Casey firmly stated, her expression haughty. She turned to go up the stairs, and he watched her form, his eyes lingering on certain parts of her. She turned in mid step, and looked down at him.

"So, D. Are you taking me out tonight?" she gave him a brilliant smile with dark sinful eyes that made his own knees weak. She had the oddest ways of emasculating him. He smiled back, and put his hands on his hips, staring up at her.

He licked his lips imperceptibly, glancing down at her own lips before responding.

"You're paying for the grub, though." He grinned, breaking the moment slightly with his characteristic jab.

"De-rek!"

"You know you love me." He smirked, and she huffed turning, running up to her room.

Soon they would be back at Queen's, and things were going to get a hell of a lot more interesting.

_tbc._


	7. When Derek Got His Groove Back

I'm sorry I took so long! I had a full week of midterms, presentations and assignments due, but now it's finally reading week. Gonna get my party on. Oh yeah. (Oh, and my writing Makes no Difference on, of course.) I just finished my other story too, so now I can focus on this.

On with the show! Thanks for all the great reviews by the way, I just love love looove reading them.

**When Derek Got His Groove Back**

So long to the days of emasculation, so long to the dates from hell that made onlookers cry, so long to the days of the prankee becoming the pranker. Because you know what? Venturi is back in full form, and he is not looking back.

Why is Derek suddenly walking with a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye? I'll tell you why. At the end of the day, Casey didn't own him. She liked to think so, and he'll let her continue thinking that, but no one messes with a Venturi and gets away with it. Especially if they're a McDonald.

It was Monday morning, the first day back since the holidays. Derek assured Edwin before they left home that he had a sure fire way of getting back at their step-sister, if New Years Eve was any indication. Derek constantly invaded Casey's personal space, watching her blush and squirm trying to avoid him but failing miserably. He was almost positive that she was attracted to him just as he was to her, and he wouldn't be himself if he didn't exploit, ahem – explore that.

On their four hour drive back to Kingston, Derek had sat in the driver's seat thinking of devious plans while oddly humming happy tunes that had Casey giving him the eye. Now, it was time to put those plans in action.

-

"You know, you would think Derek would have an off button somewhere, and after six years I _still _can't find it." Casey grumbled, jamming a fork in her salad. The students in the cafeteria kept glancing her way and whispering, others laughing. Some were suspiciously giving each other money moments after looking at her and talking amongst themselves.

"It's cute of him to do though. Wait, are you sure you didn't do it yourself?" Elizabeth asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich and Casey made sure she was at least across the table from her friend.

"Damnit Beth! I didn't do it. Are you mental? What girl in their right mind, no, what _step-sister _in their right mind would make clothes like this?" Casey grabbed at her shirt, screeching, wanting to hide herself in a closet.

"Don't know. Perhaps girls who are infatuated with the boy in question?" Beth retorted lazily, looking down at Casey's shirt. It was white, and just her size with big lettering on the front saying 'I heart ' and an image of his obnoxious face was underneath it. Casey tugged at her black pants which currently had the word Derek printed across her ass in white.

Casey flushed slightly, but regained her composure quickly. "Chyeah. Have you seen the girls that have gone for my step-brother? We'll probably see them on street corners in a couple years." Casey shoved a piece of lettuce in her mouth ungracefully, and proceeded to pour more creamy ranch on her salad.

"I... went out with him, remember?" Beth said quietly. Casey laughed nervously.

"You're exempt from that, of course." She became quiet herself then, and tried finishing her lunch faster so she could get to class and end her day of horror soon.

Derek watched her from behind a pillar laughing. It was priceless. He had stolen all of her clothes, a Derek classic but knocked up a notch. He bought off some nerd to make the shirts and pants for him, and it was the best money he had ever spent.

-

It was Tuesday morning, and Casey was looking up at a noticeboard checking out upcoming events at the university. Derek came up behind her then and slid his hands down her sides, laying his head on her shoulder.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Case?" he grinned and he could almost feel her ire rising.

"Why are you touching me so... so suggestively?" she demanded, turning to face him, making him losing his hold on her. Derek fake pouted.

"But you love it when I touch you like this at home!" He said loudly, the passer bys slowing their paces to listen to the conversation between the two most popular sophmores at Queens. Casey blushed fiercely, and tried not to knee Derek in area's she was too proper to even utter in such circumstances.

"What. Are. You. Talking. About." She grounded out through gritted teeth, her anger making her eyes fire up and Derek felt himself heating up from her reaction.

"I get it baby, you're just shy. That's so adorable." He laughed, and leaned in to hug her again.

'Are they finally going out?' 'I don't know, seems like it.' 'Sweet, Freddy owes me twenty bucks.' Casey heard several whispers from the crowd that had formed, and she could hardly take it anymore.

"De-REK!" she screeched, and before she realized it, he was gone. She clenched her fists, and tried to walk out of the crowd without seeming embarrassed when she was positively melting inside.

-

When she got home that day, she had already thought up several ways to kill Derek. However, most of them were far too violent and were not economical at all, not to mention his remains would clog up the environment. Lizzie wouldn't be pleased about that.

She was seething inside and she had a sinking suspicion that Derek knew about her feelings and was just exploiting them. That was his style after all. She entered her room, and didn't hear anything from his room so she assumed he wasn't home.

Looking up to her walls, she immediately dropped her bag, along with her jaw, in pure horror. Splattered all over the walls were posters of Derek making various kissy faces and suggestive poses that served to make her revisit her breakfast from that day in vomit form.

"DE-REK!!" she screamed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"Yes, Casey?" said a voice from underneath her bed. She screamed again from fright and fell on her bottom, making her wince and massage her tailbone. He laughed and peeked at her from underneath her lavender duvet, his brown eyes glittering.

"What in seven hells are you doing under there, in my room?!" she demanded, crawling over on her elbows, her face inches from his. Derek couldn't resist looking down at her lips that were twisted in a snarl, and even then he wanted to kiss her. He bet angry sex would be really... really... okay he was getting off-topic. And then the make up sex... okay stop!

"I just HAD to see your reaction. Do you like what I've done with the place? Man, Nora would be proud." He grinned, and Casey's face became splotchy red again with anger. She really didn't know what to do with him. Was all of this retribution for the failed dates he had with her friends? It wasn't fair, the tables had turned far too quickly and they were almost always in favour of her step-brother from hell.

"Derek, make sure you stay out of my way or you'll face my wrath." Casey warned.

"Ooh, I'm scared," he mocked in a teasing voice, "What are you going to do, handcuff me to the bed and have your way with me? Because I know you want to." He smirked and Casey made a sound of annoyance.

"Get over yourself Derek. Have fun with the dust bunnies." She said, before exiting the room, not sure of how to even deal with him at that moment.

"Casey McDonald has dust bunnies? How awful!" Derek called out, trying not to laugh at his best friend. Pranking her was definitely the best part of his days.

-

At the end of the evening, they sat down to watch a movie like they had done so many other nights. But this time, there were more stolen glances, more accidental hand touches, and coincidental closer proximity on the couch that could easily fit 5 people.

Casey looked at Derek again, his strong profile in the flashing lights from the television screen. She wanted to believe that maybe all these games he was playing was because he was beginning to feel the same way she did about him, but it was completely unlikely. Derek was a player, inside and out. But what he didn't know, was that Casey could play games too. Let's see how he feels when she puts the heat on him for a change.

Derek watched as a smirk developed on Casey's pink lips, and he swallowed nervously, for that look only meant one thing. He better run, and fast.

_tbc._


	8. Tinkerbell

Hey everybody! Happy Valentine's Day! I recently returned to Toronto for reading week so I'm not with my boyfriend –sniff-, but he's coming up here for his birthday on Wednesday so yay! This story only has a few chapters left, and then I'm pretty much in limbo figuring out what I'll write next. :0

P.S. Yes... Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. Casey stars as Wendy in this one. I wonder who Derek will be? :]

On with the show!

**Tinkerbell**

"Dude, you are _so_ whipped."

"Quit saying that!" Derek growled, skating down the ice toward Brandon after a tough practice. He didn't even want to think about the princess that was probably on his couch at that moment with that _boy. _

"What did you say his name was?" Brandon asked teasingly, padding Derek on the back with an oversized hockey glove. Derek's eye twitched and he didn't respond.

"C'mon, aren't you going to give me the juicy details Capt. D? Or should I say, Capt. Hook?" Brandon sniggered and skated in the direction of the locker rooms behind the stands. Derek sighed heavily.

"Then you obviously remember his name you dipshit." Derek snarled, skating past him and getting off the ice, walking with his skates toward the locker rooms to shower.

It was a few weeks ago when Casey decided to try out her new tactic, dating another guy. He expected that when she tried out this particular shtick, that she would go out with some cookie cutter or some beefy scumbag, but no, the girl had gone and lost her mind. He knew what she was trying to do, she was trying to make him jealous or get on his nerves. He'd drunkenly admitted one night (precisely three days before she picked up her new toy) that he hated all her past boyfriends because he thought she deserved better.

He wasn't drunk enough however, to say that he himself was the 'better' that she deserved, but even he didn't want to dwell on that though. He only just started liking her, right? ...Right? He was going to hell.

"Why are you taking so long in the shower D? Trying to figure out how to wash yourself without stabbing yourself with your hook?" Brandon spoke up from the next stall. Derek faltered in his stance, shaken out of his thoughts.

"Do you realize how lame that was? Try your hand at sitting on the bench next game." Derek sneered, shutting off the shower.

"Jeeze. You really are evil. Where's your ship?" Brandon inquired.

"Ugh, shut up! Why did I even make you co-captain? I must have been high on something." Derek growled, drying himself off.

"High on pot or a so-called neurotic drama queen?" Brandon chuckled and ran off to his locker.

-

"You know, I should've given you a chance in high school. You're really sweet." Casey uttered quietly to the boy sitting next to her. They were currently having a Renee Zellweger marathon and they both seemed to enjoy it eagerly.

"It's okay Casey, even if I've had to wait since the day I first saw you, I'm so grateful that I can be with you now." Tinker replied, reaching out for Casey's hand and she took his somewhat reluctantly. She'd rather be sitting here with Derek; of course he'd sooner make breakfast every day, drink liquids out of glasses instead of the box or even keep his room sparkling clean than watch Bridget Jones.

Casey wasn't stupid. She knew Tinker had an unhealthy obsession with her, and that bringing him back into her life was a bad idea. She had been covertly avoiding him for the first year and a half at Queen's, but it wasn't easy to do so when your step-brother was a notorious player and surprisingly talked about you like a good friend. She had approached the red haired mop of a guy and asked him out on the spot. Derek wouldn't be expecting it, and she had a feeling this would be sufficient.

Tinker really was a nice guy and was compatible in many ways, and soon Derek would realize this and feel threatened. Then she would have the upper hand in their little game. Casey didn't realize however, that Derek was a simple guy, and simple guys didn't wait for things like compatibility to be established. Just simple proximity on a couch with touching limbs would be enough to have him seething. And true to simple guys everywhere, Derek was standing in the doorway unbeknownst to the happy couple in the room, seething in anger and jealousy.

Derek didn't do jealousy, ever. Okay, maybe he felt a smidgen when Sally went out with Patrick that one time, but they had gone out for like 6 years prior to his relationship with her. Any normal guy would feel a bit threatened. Why did he feel this way now? He didn't actually want Casey for himself... he didn't feel exactly like this every time she went out with a different guy in high school. At least that's what he tried to tell himself in that moment. Being jealous of Tinker of all people was sure to drive him over the deep end, but Casey had that kind of effect on him.

He sauntered across the room, throwing a wave to the couple without trying to show his face that was sure to be twisted in anger.

"Hey Tinkerbell, Wendy." He said blithely, and Casey stiffened at his tone.

"It's Tinker, Derek!" Tinker called out, somewhat offended. Derek replied with a grunt and shut his door to his room. A devious smirk spread across Casey's lips and she excused herself from the couch.

"Come back soon, my love?" Tinker said, his far away tone itching at her nerves.

"Um, yeah. Just a sec Tink." She smiled nervously, and scampered off to the dark hallway to their rooms. She opened his door without knocking as she always did, and saw him playing absently at his guitar, strumming random notes.

"What do you want?" he groused, sparing her a glance before going back to his guitar.

"Is there something the matter, D?" Casey asked, her tone haughty and victorious. He rolled his eyes and kept playing.

"Not especially. Why don't you think happy thoughts and fly out of my room?" Derek sneered.

"I'm pleased that you know my favourite childhood book so well—" Casey started.

"Uh, movie." Derek cut in. He didn't want to admit that he went to the library for the second time in his life to read Peter Pan after Casey told Marti that was her favourite book. The first time he went was because he was young, naive and believed Sam when he told him they had Playboy there.

"Whatever, but um... you aren't jealous are you?" Casey sat down on the bed then, and Derek didn't bother to ignore how good she smelled this time or how pretty she looked with her hair down like that. His chest did that strange flutter flippy thing and he sighed. It was supposed to be a random crush that went away quickly, but he'd been feeling like this for certain since Christmas a month ago. He knew though that subconsciously the feelings developed before that.

"Me? Jealous over what? If I had a girl as obsessed with me as Tinker is with you, well then, _maybe. _But you and I both know that every girl at Queen's is obsessed with me already." Derek said, the double entendre not missed on his cunning step-sister.

"Except for me." She said casually.

"Only you." Derek looked at her then, his gaze deep and intense and Casey immediately flushed, sucking in a breath. He had been looking at her a lot like that lately, and it made her feel things in certain regions that she didn't want to think about when Tinker was in the next room. She unconsciously rubbed her legs together, and Derek watched the action with rapt attention.

He looked at her and her reaction, and he suddenly felt a relief flooding through him. She had been guarding herself for the last couple of weeks while she strung Tinker along to get on his nerves. This time he finally got to her, and he relished in it. He also felt a strange happy feeling floating around his senses.

"You know Casey, we're going to have to talk about this at some point." He said, and she laughed.

"That's a blatant lie if I ever heard one. Since when do you want to talk about feelings?" she asked, pointing her finger at him.

He smirked. "Hm, I never said I wanted to talk about feelings, but it's interesting you said that." Casey recoiled slightly, she got caught.

"Well, um—"

"Well, um what? Tinkerbell is probably getting his wings in a twist waiting for you." He said, going back to his guitar. Casey's face was a deep red and he looked at her curiously. She got up suddenly, and walked out his door but not before tripping on a slight welt in the carpet and falling flat on her face. She laughed nervously and scampered off.

Interesting. She was always a klutz around guys she liked, but strangely she was always a klutz around him throughout the years as well.

Derek caught sight of himself in his mirror as his eyes widened. He sucked in a breath and looked at his wall, in the direction of the living room where she would surely be subjecting herself to Tinker's sonnets of undying love.

What game were they playing exactly, and why were they playing it? If she had liked him all this time, then why did she set him up on all of those dates? Why in seven hells was she going out with Tinker? This was the toughest exam he had in Casey psychology, and perhaps he should cheat. Alumnus Emily Davis would be of help, but he wasn't too keen on dealing with the gossip queen from hell or some other equally terrible place. Like a world without alcohol and chocolate, or a world... without Casey.

He got up off his bed then and laid his guitar on his bed gently, before walking over to the window. The brisk January air flowed past him as he shoved the window open, and looked around at the lights of the city skyline. If she had liked him all this time, that changes everything.

-

In the next room, Casey was hyperventilating. Derek wasn't an idiot, soon he would put two and two together and find out about everything. She wasn't sure if she was ready for that, and she needed a plan. She wasn't sure if she could take setting him up with other girls, either. It was entertaining sure, but she was beginning to see that seeing him happy with someone else would hurt her and she wouldn't be able to stand it.

"Are you ill, my sweet? Please, lay your head upon my chest so you may draw upon my warmth and feel at ease." Tinker proclaimed, noticing Casey slumped over in the couch, her hands on her face.

"Paper bag, paper bag right now!" she screeched and he ran around their apartment searching for one.

Derek watched her antics from behind his door and he smiled genuinely. He wasn't going to be playing games anymore.

_tbc._


	9. Casey's Shaking Hands

I'm completely amazed at how many readers put this story on their alert. I'm so happy you guys want to see what happens until the end! I do too. :] Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy – it's what some of you have been waiting for.

P.S. The title can be explained through the song lyrics. It's 'I Should've Been After You' by Rooney, as a reminder. :]

**Casey's Shaking Hands**

For all the love that Casey held for planning and strategizing, she had sorely come up short in this particular situation. She was almost positive that Derek knew about her feelings, and it was just a matter of time before the shit hit the fan. Or in this case, before Derek initiated Cold War II in order to avoid talking about dreaded feelings. The vibe in the apartment had changed somewhat, in a way that she couldn't place.

It was now the beginning of February and the added stress of upcoming midterms was wearing away at her sanity. She was shrugging on her high heeled leather boots before she felt Derek's presence behind her. She turned quickly, holding her pea coat close to her to feel more secure when her insides were positively swarming in confusion and her heart was in her knees.

He was looking at her with a small smile on his face that she would've considered innocent until she looked up at his eyes that were darker than usual; glittering with content and scheming in their glint. She could hardly stand it.

"What?" she blurted trying to sound stronger, but her voice failing her.

"Let's go down to the old joint for lunch today, maybe noon? I know you only have a couple classes princess." Derek said, shoving his hands into his pockets casually. Casey narrowed her eyes.

"You going to 'forget your wallet' or 'accidentally drop your wallet in the sewer' this time?" Casey sneered, not taking her eyes off of him. Derek laughed, but sobered quickly when her countenance didn't change.

"Yeah, my treat. I have a... proposition of sorts." Derek said slowly, his voice so smooth and deep that Casey resisted the urge to shudder.

"If this involves me doing your laundry again, then you're out of your damn mind." Casey huffed, and she looked down at her hands when she felt them shaking slightly. She knew that this lunch meeting of theirs wasn't going to be normal. She could see it in the way he looked at her like he wanted to devour her, and his nonchalant posture that reeked of arrogance more potent than normal.

Derek looked at her shaking hands for a moment, and it was then he decided he really was going to hell. She wanted him, and they both knew it.

"Oh, and Case?" he said, before she stepped out the door, her keys jingling in her hands. She turned back with a small arch of her eyebrow.

"You might want to bring your paper bag." He smirked before turning and heading to his room to prepare for his day. Casey reddened and left the apartment without another word.

-

"You are so not privy to that information and I am so not at liberty to share it." Emily stated firmly, and Derek rolled his eyes and even though she couldn't see it, she rolled her own eyes in response.

"Come on, Em! You love Casey and I uh..." that was a dangerous thing to say. Emily's ears perked up and she got her netbook ready. It seemed as if the juiciest data of the new year was ready for her.

"Look, it's just part of a female code to not share certain information, especially with people who are... er, involved?" Emily's clear voice came through a bit fuzzy on Derek's phone. He didn't want to be reminded of female or male codes, that had gotten him in enough trouble the last time.

"She's been acting all weird though! Normally I can figure her out in a fraction of a second, but lately..." Derek trailed off, thinking about how even though their relationship hadn't changed all that much, it felt like something pivotal was happening to them.

"Maybe you need more practice with your fractions." Emily drawled lamely, and Derek frowned.

"I know that Casey... that she... f-fee—ahem." Derek cleared his throat. Emily began to laugh.

"You haven't changed at all. She feels something, for who or what exactly?" she inquired, her interest very piqued at this point.

"Do I really have to spell it out for you?" Derek asked irritated. Emily was too sneaky for her own good. She wasn't named gossip queen in the Thompson High yearbook for nothing.

"Derek, you've known me what, nearly twenty years now? Spill it." Emily demanded. Derek almost smiled and realized that Emily was indeed one of his oldest friends. If she wasn't obsessed with him for like 15 of those years, then they probably would have been closer. It's interesting that she stopped her advances soon after they turned sixteen, not long after Casey had arrived.

"You know what, it's okay. I have all the information I need." Derek grinned, and went to hang up when he heard her screeching voice from the receiver.

"Wait, what did you figure out? Don't freak Casey out or I will come there personally and kick your Venturi ass." Emily sneered, and he just laughed in return.

"I have a lunch date with the princess in an hour, so if you have any objections, please speak now or forever hold your peace." Derek teased, waiting in baited silence for her response.

"I know you've wanted it to seem like you hated Casey when she first got here, and I know you pranked her and acted like you hated her over the years. But I know you care about her." Derek didn't say anything, and normally he would have, but that was in the past. They were better friends now.

"But whatever you do, please don't hurt her. You know Casey better than anyone, and with that comes a lot of responsibility." Emily admonished quietly, the tone of the phone call shifting quickly.

"I'll never hurt her. I could never stand it."

Emily just smiled knowingly.

-

They were seated in a booth in their favourite burger joint. They had run into each other for the first time since being at Queen's there, and Derek had convinced her to stay even though they didn't offer vegetarian burgers. Soon they begun to hang out there, and that led to hanging out in each other's dorms and everyone began to find out their relationship after suspecting they were going out.

He figured that this is where it all really began, this place where he stopped thinking and started feeling. They had come a long way since Operation: Disengagement, now it was time for a vastly different operation. He couldn't stop smirking.

"Venturi, if you don't stop looking at me like that, I will come over there and rearrange your face." Casey sneered, sipping at her smoothie.

"Oh, so you think that just because you stopped the fridge back in high school that you've now reserved the right." Derek drawled lazily, a smile in his eyes.

"That's exactly right." Casey said indignantly, raising her eyebrow challenging him. He hid a grin. This girl drove him crazy and kept up with him like nothing else.

"Let's get down to business Casey." He said, finishing off his coke and placing the somewhat sweaty glass on the table between them.

"Oh, this was about that proposition you had. I wondered where Ed got his scheming business ploys from, but now it's so clear." Casey said with a small smile, but she was hardly impressed.

"Clearly you forgot when and where you got your first cell or you'd have known about that a long time ago." Derek looked her over, her long hair pooling around her shoulders and flowing down her back. The crisp blue winter sky reflected in her own eyes, underneath her smoky make up that he decided she could do without and still look amazing.

He sucked in a breath when she smiled brilliantly at him. He knew in that instant that this was the right thing to do.

"I'll never forget that, D—"

"Right, so anyway." He cut in rudely, making her huff slightly but she listened on intently. "I think you and I both know what this is really about." He said casually, looking at her in the eye with a penetrating stare.

"If you're going to get all _Clueless _on me, then I have to object." Casey said, playing with the napkin on her lap. Derek painted a look of confusion on his face. Oh, that movie.

"You have a really bad habit of jumping to conclusions Space Case, but I'll give you this one." He smirked, and placed his hand atop hers that was on the table. She quickly swiped her hand from his, not from disgust like she had the first time they met, but because the moment he did it, her heart sped up and she was afraid she would get a heart attack.

"Derek, we really can't." She looked down, feeling completely uncertain. She had dreamt about this moment, but she still wasn't sure.

"Why can't we? It's not like we're sixteen and pretending to hate each other like back then." Derek leaned back in his seat, not feeling like he had lost yet. He found it somewhat amusing that they hadn't even uttered any words that came close to feelings or relationships, but they both knew exactly what was going on.

"Because, because... you don't even—"

"Feel that way about you? Bzzz. Try again." They were whispering slightly, even though the place was somewhat empty. Most people were in class at this time, and they were alone in the corner. It didn't stop them from garnering some attention from the select few in the restaurant, especially when Derek reached over and nonchalantly played with a lock of her hair in-between his fingers.

Casey's breath hitched. "Because of the family, because everyone here knows we're stepsiblings."

"And everyone at Queen's has been at one point in another, involved in a bet about us. The family... I don't know, but Casey, think about it." He said, his voice taking on that tone whenever he wanted to inspire her to do something. It usually worked.

She looked up at him hopefully, urging him to find a way to convince her because she wanted to be convinced.

"Whether it's been hating each other, tolerating each other, living together with or without the family, being best friends, we've always been intricately involved in each other's lives," he smoothed a hand down her face, his palm cupping her face, and he watched as her eyes closed.

"I know you feel it too, how easy it would be to slip into this, because anything we do, we do it so damn well. Whether if it's creating chaos or," he brushed a thumb on her lips. "Or making perfection." He said, his voice gentle. Casey opened her eyes then slowly, and a smile adorned her mouth.

"But I'm just, sort of..." Casey couldn't come up with the words.

"Usually I'm the inarticulate one, what's happened to you, blown away by my rugged good looks once again?" Derek smirked, and dropped his hand from her face to grab her hand in his.

Casey laughed and gave him an 'as if' look. "I don't want everyone knowing yet though, especially not our family and friends from London."

"What, you think I was going to date you in public right away? I have to prep you first, think of it like a Derek 101." He teased.

"De-rek! What exactly does that entail, dressing like a slut and melting at your feet?" she accused, her eyes narrowing.

"I like the melting part, but no Case, just stay the way you are. The irritating pain in the ass that you are. I'm a masochist apparently." He grinned, and she smacked him on the arm. "Ooh, do it again." His voice became husky and Casey blushed.

"You're insufferable."

"You're adorable."

"You flatter me. What's the catch?"

"Just pretend you like being my girlfriend." Derek stood up and took her hand, pulling her behind a pillar in the restaurant away from prying eyes.

"I think I can do that – for a price." Casey wrapped her arms around his neck timidly, never imagining that she would be doing this with Derek. Yet it felt so natural and they both revelled in the feeling.

Derek leaned down and kissed her like he had wanted to for so long, and needless to say, he had never felt like that before and it blew his mind a little. Casey felt her knees weaken, and Derek tightened his grip on her.

"Does that suffice?" he pulled her flush against him, and his chest was fluttering like crazy. Every time she looked at him or touched him, the feeling getting worse.

"Wendy like." She smiled, kissing him again.

"Oh, Tinkerbell better be out of the picture or Captain Hook won't be happy." He said, his expression somewhat serious. She laughed.

"Tinky's gone, but what makes you think you're bad enough to be Captain Hook?" Casey poked him in the chest in a cute gesture.

"Want me to show you?" he wriggled his eyebrows lamely and she in turn wiggled out of his grasp.

"Maybe later... or never, I've got class. See you around Venturi." Casey said gathering her things and turning to leave, but not without throwing him a knowing smile.

"See ya, McDonald." Derek replied, shoving his hands into his pockets and watching her walk out of the restaurant, happiness radiating off of her, much like himself.

_tbc._


	10. But It Makes No Difference

Hey everyone. :] Thanks for all the awesome reviews, favourites and subscriptions! I might be slower with chapters as school starts back next week and it's super busy. This is not really a filler chapter, although it may seem like one. I needed to get this scene out of the way to build on the rest of the story.

P.S. The title can be explained through the song once again! :]

**But It Makes No Difference**

Derek felt a rush of nostalgia when he sat down behind her in the small classroom. He was sorely tempted to put sticky notes and paper airplanes among other things on the unsuspecting girl, but he figured she needed a break from his pranks since exams were coming up. It was the day before Valentine's Day, and even though no one knew that he was seeing Casey, it was a rush trying to keep their relationship a secret. Usually their relationship as step-siblings and friends was in everyone's face because they were constantly arguing or pranking each other.

The only problem with all this was that because it was a secret to everyone, they still had to fend off the occasional suitor, frequent in Derek's case. With the dreaded v-day day in less than 24 hours, it wasn't surprising that they were getting a lot of phone calls.

He scribbled a quick note on a piece of paper and threw it at her head. He grinned when she jumped in her seat and zipped around to look him in the eye. She narrowed her own, and picked up the note with a frown on her face.

'I had a good time last night. Let's get together sometime.' The note said, and Casey laughed in a seat, garnering attention from her classmates. It was the last tutorial before the midterm and so everyone was on edge and listening to the teaching assistant go through practice questions. Derek sighed, and waited for her response.

'Sure, what's your number hotshot?' she wrote in pretty cursive handwriting that Derek envied. Casey threw him a look which he returned with a smirk.

'What's the deal with tomorrow, princess?' He saw Casey's shoulders drop a little in defeat when she received his note.

'I've made preparations, but you're not going to like it.' She wrote back, and he leaned back in his seat. He didn't like the sound of it already.

'Well, if it saves me from having to buy you a gift, I'm cool.' Derek coughed to cover his laughter when he saw Casey shaking in her seat from anger.

'DEREK. Do I look like Kendra to you? Anyway, I have a way that we can still spend valentines together, and still keep up appearances.' Casey shook her head at the TA who didn't really know what she was talking about, and decided to tune her out completely.

'Please don't say double-date. If you do, I'll be forced to withhold any cuddle sessions today.' Derek groaned, and the girl beside him winked at him, thinking she caused some sort of positive reaction in him. He raised his eyebrow at the girl, and effectively stopped her advances.

'That's right. Derek, you couldn't not cuddle me even if you tried. Since when do we have sessions anyway...'

"Okay, good luck on the midterm guys! We'll resume in a couple of weeks." The teaching assistant smiled at the classroom, and threw a smile at Derek that made Casey scowl a bit darkly. She knew Derek was technically hers now, but she was afraid he would take advantage of the keeping up appearances part.

Derek pushed in his chair and slugged his arm around Casey's shoulders.

"Derek, you do realize you're touching me right." Casey said somewhat irritated.

"Case, relax. No one can suspect anything from a side grab." He said before kissing her hair quickly, making her cheeks redden. She still wasn't used to the affection he gave her.

"Oh, is that why you always side grabbed me in high school?" she asked, a smirk forming on her lips. He stiffened.

"You raise a good point, McDonald. Is there a reason you always barged into my room? Hoping to see me naked?" Derek inquired. Casey froze herself, and laughed nervously.

"No... of course not." Derek chuckled to himself, knowing he had caught Casey red-handed. His laugh trailed off however when he realized he always used to barge into her room unannounced as well. They both realized this and they fell quiet, wondering just how long their attraction to each other had run.

"Anyway, you can't mess up like you did with the last double date we tried and completely failed." Derek admonished, walking them out towards the parking lot to the Prince. Casey pouted.

"I was under a lot of pressure! I didn't want to hurt Noel's feelings." Casey exclaimed.

"Yadda yadda. So I can pick any girl I want, right?" Derek said, slipping into the Prince after Casey got into the passenger's seat. Casey buckled her seatbelt and then crossed her arms.

"Who do you think you are? I couldn't stomach you bringing some bimbo so I'm setting you up." Casey said, earning a look of horror from her boyfriend.

"_Cassandra_," he said in that voice he always used when he tried to calm her but always failed, "Do you remember what happened when you set me up at the end of last year?" he started the ignition and pulled out. A ghost of a smirk appeared on his owner's, ahem, girlfriend's face.

"It's just safer this way, D." She shrugged her shoulders as if it all made sense to her.

"I'll agree to this if it means I don't have to buy you a gift." Derek said stopping at a traffic light, music blaring softly in the background.

"De-rek!!" he grinned.

"No worries Space Case, just because I don't want to buy you a gift doesn't mean I haven't _made _one." And at that Casey's face broke into a smile. She reached over and attempted to hug him.

"Watch it! Don't spread your klutzilla influence to the car. But who are you going with?" he asked, turning onto their street.

"Brandon." Casey said simply, gathering her keys out of her purse. Derek choked on a non-existent substance in surprise.

"You mean the idiot on my hockey team?" Casey pursed her lips.

"Yes. I mean no, isn't he your friend? He happens to be a sweet, nice and caring guy." Casey explained making her step-brother roll his eyes at that insipid tone she used whenever she talked about another guy.

"Who is totally interested in you and gives me a hard time because you act like my girlfriend." Derek retorted.

"Derek, I didn't act like your girlfriend when we weren't dating—" Derek scoffed, "And so what if he's interested. Jealous? I thought the great Derek Venturi didn't get jealous because he never has anything to worry about." Casey challenged, unbuckling her seatbelt and opening her car door. Derek shut off the car and walked with her to the front door.

"Casey, you're my girl now and—"

"I might be going out with you but I am my own woman." Casey cut in.

"Yap yap. Look, we didn't talk about this explicitly but I don't know if I like the whole going out with other people thing, even if it's just for show." Derek explained, following her through the door after she opened it.

"That's surprising; I didn't think we were exclusive." Casey said, dropping her purse on a chair when they walked into their apartment.

"W-what?" Derek spluttered, "What do you mean by that? You're the queen of exclusive relationships." Derek plopped down on a stool in the kitchen, watching her take ingredients out of the fridge.

"And you're the king of no strings attached." Casey replied blithely, not even sparing him a glance. Derek didn't like the way he felt just then. Normally he'd agree with her, and he would be completely fine with an open relationship, but that didn't feel right to him this time.

"That's... true but Case, don't you feel like—"

"Derek, we've been going out for two weeks and you want to talk about exclusivity. No one even knows we're together and we're still in university. Why do you want to be bogged down by me?" Derek was caught off guard.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Casey McDonald's body?" Derek asked lamely.

"Oh? I thought I was the alien." Casey finally looked up at him then, her eyes playful.

Derek grinned sheepishly. "Smarti's cute isn't she, making up that story about me telling them that you're an alien." Casey narrowed her eyes.

"There have been too many times that I've smelled the remnants of your lingering cologne in my room, thereby making your spaceship searches plausible." Casey said, throwing pasta into the pot. She was too tired to make anything complicated.

"Oh, I don't wear cologne that much. It must've been my potent and intoxicating au naturel smell." He smirked, and Casey threw him a look.

"Yeah, okay."

"But seriously, do you want to date other people?" he asked, trying not to belie his nervousness.

"I don't know, do you?" she asked, avoiding his eyes again. Derek knew that he liked Casey, and had for a while now. But as he looked at her then, her fuzzy black sweater fitting her curves, her hair in a pretty ponytail to the side and her vibrant blue eyes that he found that he loved so much, he knew his attraction to her was different from anything he felt for another girl. She was different from everyone else and matched him at everything.

Even if he wanted to date other girls, none of them would compare.

However, if he told her that he wanted to be exclusive, maybe it would move their relationship too fast, too soon, and he couldn't risk losing her or their friendship. They were already risking so much.

"Well, I guess so Case." He said gently, watching for any reaction in her. There wasn't any. "But I spend all my time with you anyway. Despite your many faults, no other girl at Queen's is... er... well you know what I mean." And to that, Casey smiled.

"I don't know, I could do without a guy that passes gas when I'm sitting beside him. Or drinks out of milk cartons. Or thinks I come from another planet." Casey turned to stir the pasta when Derek raised his eyebrow, and coming up behind her.

"You know you love me," he whispered in her ear, and Casey stiffened. "I'm the best thing that's ever happened to you." Derek said arrogantly and kissing her neck briefly before leaving the kitchen.

Casey stared at his back as he walked away. She was falling for him, but that didn't mean they would live happily ever after. She knew Derek, and eventually this attraction he developed recently would wear off.

Derek turned then, to look at her and was surprised to find her looking at him already. He really didn't want her dating other guys, and he wasn't going to play it off as a caring brother thing this time.

It's not like he was falling for her, right? Derek laughed to himself. Derek Venturi didn't do love and he didn't do jealousy either. So why was it that Casey was making him feel so possessive and jealous? It wasn't because she was technically his sister and he felt that he needed to protect her. No, it was something else entirely.

_tbc._


	11. I Should've Been After You

Hey everyone. Sorry about the delay! I caught what I think was the stomach flu so I've been bed ridden for the past couple of days, I'm still weak and have midterms next week so my updates may still be a bit slow. I'm also working on a D/C one-shot which I'll publish within the next couple weeks. :D

Well, on with the show! ;]

P.S. This chapter is littered with lyrics from the song, so I just decided to use that title. :P

**I Should've Been After You**

As Derek walked home from the convenience store, he wondered about the laws and justice system within Canada. How many years does one get if you pulverize your best friend? What about your live-in step-sister, does that count as domestic violence?

Try this one on for size: your keener step-sister who you live with and are currently dating, oh and said woman is Casey McDonald. In this case, Derek could most likely plead insanity and get away with it.

Casey was driving him crazy with her planning and strategizing when it came to their relationship. They were still keeping it under wraps after an entire month of being together, but he wasn't so sure if he liked the way things were going. It was classic Casey, the way she over exaggerated plans and the way he just had to lie back and accept it because he didn't have the heart to tell Casey she was a lunatic. Who was he kidding, he called her a lunatic at least once a day but she was too stubborn to listen.

It only served to highlight the stark differences between them; she was so ridiculously uptight to the point where Derek felt like she was giving him a mental wedgie half the time. He was so laid back and nonchalant that it constantly grated on Casey's nerves and she felt the need to constantly bother him to be more proactive. He thought that once he could work his sexy Venturi moves on her, she would calm down a little bit.

Yeah, okay.

She continued to set him up on dates with her friends, some of which she couldn't really classify as friends because they were only around her to get to him. He wondered idly if there were supernatural forces at work which made any dates he had with her friends really terrible, and he couldn't bring himself to date any girls she hadn't set up for him. The one thing he truly didn't have the heart to tell her was that he did want an exclusive relationship but he was treading on thin ice.

But he was never afraid of ice, and he wasn't going to start now.

"Casey, I have a proposition." He said after walking in the door. His cheeks were flushed from the still cold and brisk early March air. He threw down four bags of chips along with a 2 litre bottle of soda on the kitchen counter and Casey's mouth twisted in disgust.

"How can you possibly digest that much fat and cholesterol and sugar?" she asked, turning back to her novel and pretending to read with rapt attention. It was hard for her to focus on anything when Derek was in the room. Whenever he was near her, she itched with anticipation for their next fight, or something else that would make even her mother blush.

"I think your real question is, how can I eat all of this and still be so dangerously sexy." He smirked, and plopped down on the couch next to her, laying his head on her lap. She looked at his long eyelashes dancing over his defined cheek bones and dark brown irises.

"Sure," Casey rolled her eyes, "What's with you and propositions these days?" she shoved him off her lap, crossing her legs and went back to her pretend reading.

He sat up and propped his legs on the coffee table earning a glare from her, and he smiled in defiance. "Look, Case, this whole set-up business is so not working out. It's like the equivalent of living with Teddy." He shuddered, reliving memories he had sworn to himself never happened.

"You mean that weird kid Edwin is friends with?" Casey grinned softly, shutting her book finally.

"And I thought I taught Ed better." Derek shook his head in what seemed like genuine shame but Casey just laughed.

"Well what's going to happen if you suddenly stop dating? I said before I couldn't handle you bringing sluts back to the apartment." Derek mock gasped.

"Casey, watch your language! And did I ever bring girls back here at the beginning of the year?"

Casey grew quiet. "Okay, you have a point. But people are going to wonder why you're not 'macking' on girls," she made air quotes, "And they just might grow suspicious." She said opening up her book again, she didn't want to discuss the issue anymore.

Derek sighed heavily. "I don't get it Casey, no matter what I think, say or do, it makes no difference to you. You continue to set me up... wait a minute, I just figured it out. Oh man, I am so blind." Derek shot up out of his seat, his movements frantic. Casey looked at him as if he needed a straight-jacket.

"Um, did you figure out how to aim properly in the bathroom?" Casey asked casually, her tone bitter. Derek smirked.

"No, something even better than that." Casey didn't like the look at his face as he said that. It was an expression he had whenever he knew he had the upper hand and he would use it to his full advantage.

"Lay it on me, Venturi." She tried to play it off like she didn't care, but her heart was beginning to race.

"The real reason why you set me up on all those stupid and ridiculous dates with your robotic, stinky and masculine girlfriends." He said, making Casey look up at him in an instant. He held his hands behind his back and began to pace in front of her. Her blue eyes wandered in nervousness, and she swallowed. It was as if Derek had morphed into their younger siblings and was currently questioning her on some case they wanted to solve.

"I told you why, you couldn't keep a girlfriend to save your life and I wanted you to find someone." She said, trying to remember what she had said to him that night in the car. He hadn't let her drive the Prince since then, saying that she was ruining his life.

"Yeah, sure Casey. That seems like a nice _sisterly_ thing to do, but you and I both know that you are nowhere near my sister." He leaned down and placed his hands on either side of her, his face inches from hers. His gaze borrowed into hers, and Casey blushed slightly at his proximity. Whenever he was up close like this, she noticed how handsome he was and it made her a little too flustered.

"Just because I'm not, doesn't mean I can't do a nice thing for a friend." She tried, her smile wavering.

"Hmm..." he said annoyingly, watching her every movement. Casey raised an eyebrow defiantly.

"Well?"

"It's just classic Casey psychology." He began, his tone victorious.

"Did Emily teach you that term? I am going to kill her." Casey said with gritted teeth.

"Emily was no help at all, even when I asked her," Casey bristled. "But now, it all makes sense. You couldn't handle how much you wanted me and you didn't want to lose me, so instead you came up with the stupid idea to set me up. Am I getting warm yet?" he asked. Casey narrowed her eyes and stood up, breaking away from his hold.

"You're off your gasket."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Jerk."

"Priss."

"Look, this isn't getting us anywhere." Casey huffed, walking over to the kitchen and pouring herself a glass of water. Derek was red hot and as usual, he could unravel her down to her most basic of thoughts.

"But maybe it wasn't such a stupid idea, Case." He said, his voice suddenly gentle. She looked at him then, his sweatpants hanging off his hips, his slightly loose shirt hugging his torso. He looked suddenly uncomfortable standing there by the couch, looking down at the floor. He shuffled his feet, and scratched at the back of neck.

"Who says I even had that idea?" she asked, trying until the very end to deny it.

"Give it up, princess." Casey grew quiet once again.

"Every time I went on a date with one of your friends, they never worked out for one reason or another. But the real surprise was that I found myself comparing every one of them to you." Derek said, his voice shaky. He hated talking about these things, but he felt he had to if he wanted to take the next step.

Casey's breath hitched and she regarded Derek with surprise. Surely he hadn't been interested in her for that long.

"What are you saying exactly?" she said, losing all of the defensiveness in her posture and the edge in her voice.

"I've always known that even though you're a keener princess who has a stick the size of Canada up her ass, that you're a pretty cool chick who I eventually accepted into the Derek Venturi fold." He said, masking his kind words with typical insults and self-importance, making her click her tongue in annoyance.

"I didn't want to think that I was having ... feelings for you, and convinced myself it was because we were getting closer. But going out with all your friends made me realize that I should've been after you from a long time ago, before we got along this well." Derek sat down on the couch then, breathing heavily as if he ran a marathon. Casey knew he was exaggerating with that, knowing he really didn't want to say what he just said. She was shocked at his admission, knowing exactly how he felt.

"Why do you think I did what I did, D? I don't want to lose you as my friend, and I'd rather have you in my life than not have you at all." Casey walked back to the couch, sitting next to him and placing her hand on his knee. He gathered her close, and kissed her hair, cradling her head beneath his chin on his chest.

"So what made you agree to go out with me?" he asked, brushing her thumb on her hand. Casey sighed, somewhat exasperated at the situation.

"Being with you for six years made me realize that taking chances can be a good thing sometimes, and knowing that you felt something for me made me want to jump feet first for once." Casey said, her feelings for the man underneath her welling up and bursting inside her chest. Derek let out a shuddered breath, closing his eyes, feeling the same crazy fluttering and tightening in his chest. He had never felt like this before for anyone, and he was beginning to accept that maybe this was the start of something new in his life.

He didn't want to be hiding his relationship anymore, at least not at Queen's. Their parents were a hurdle they would have to overcome later on, something he wasn't ready to face. But he couldn't stand going out with other people, or seeing her dating other guys once in a while just to save face. It was unheard of when all he wanted to do was be with her, and let everyone know that she was his and no one else's.

"Then take another chance, Case." He urged her, smoothing his hand down her side and pulling her closer to him.

"Oh, is this your proposition number two?" she asked, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, forget all this shady business. I think you're prepped enough to go public with me anyhow." He grinned, but it faltered when he felt Casey stiffen for a second.

"So, you want to be exclusive then?" she said bluntly, looking at him under her eyelashes that drove him crazy.

"I'm really sure about this, I've thought about it a lot and there's just no one that can compare. Your little matchmaking frenzy proved as much." He leaned back on the couch, taking in a deep breath to ease the feeling in his chest. Having her this close to him was intense at times.

"Yeah but Derek... are you ready for something like that? You haven't really proved to me at all that you can stay with one girl for a long time." Casey wriggled out of his grasp, feeling chilly from the lack of warmth. Derek frowned.

"Casey, I've been with you for a month, and I've only been out with girls _you _set me up with. So what's your excuse?" he felt his mood shifting to bitterness, and he couldn't look at her for a moment.

"Don't you get it?! I can't go out with you, one because my friends really want to go out with you and if they find out I've been dating you, they'll hate me. Two, once everyone else finds out, some may not be as accepting because we're stepsiblings. And most importantly, our parents would kill us if they ever found out. Is that good enough for you?" Casey felt her voice wavering, and Derek regarded her with a dirty look.

"Don't even start crying, McDonald. As much as you're pissing me off right now with your silly ideas for why we can't go out in public or even be exclusive, I should be completely honest with you." He said before taking a breath, and waiting until she calmed down. "I've pretty much liked you from the start, before all of this stupid matchmaking shit, before we moved in here, hell, before we even got to Queen's."

Casey laughed bitterly. "Yeah, right."

"This isn't a prank, although it would've made a pretty good one." He defended, slumping slightly in his seat.

"So what does that mean then?"

"It means to hell with everything else, I'm tired of waiting and I want you. You should be able to comprehend that, right?" Derek said hotly, running his hand through his messy hair.

"Derek..."

"Don't 'Derek' me. Look babe, I get why you're scared. You don't want to lose me on top of everything else should everyone freak out about us, but you won't lose me." He said, reaching out to her, but she got up before he could lay a hand on her.

"Yeah, because you have a great track record of talking to girls after you break up." She retorted with a sarcastic lilt.

Derek laughed. "Are you sure you're not fishing for compliments? You're not like the other girls I've dated, in fact you're kind of like the opposite of most of them."

"Whatever, all I know is, I can't trust that I won't lose you and I can't trust that you won't cheat on me. So, I guess we've come to a standstill." Casey put her hands on her hips, looking down at him with a condescending stare.

Derek stood up and crossed his arms.

"You're gonna have to choose then, is it me or them?"

Casey huffed. "Quit being childish Derek."

"No, I'm dead serious. We can just be friends and you can be little miss perfect Casey." Derek sneered.

"But I—" she exclaimed, but he cut her off.

"Really want me? Oh, I know. How about we make a bet? How long can you go without being able to touch me, have sleepovers in my room, see me in all my glory, and all the other awesome shizz you can do when you're mine." Derek proposed, watching for her reaction. As expected, she didn't like it.

"You must be insane if you think I'm going to participate in something that stupid and so... so... Derek-like!" she screeched in typical Casey fashion.

"How creative, making up adjectives that describe me perfectly." He said sarcastically.

"Ugh! Why did I think I wanted to go out with a gross, idiotic and unhygienic guy like you? I'm fine being just friends, it's really not worth the trouble to go through with more." She said, and Derek was surprised to find that it had actually hurt but he didn't let it show.

"Fine! You'll be regretting this, McDonald. Don't come crawling back when you realized you messed up." Derek said turning, and beginning to walk away to his room.

"Oh, I most certainly didn't mess anything up Venturi. Don't be so cocky." Casey laughed in that haughty way she did whenever she was nervous about something but wanted to cover it up. He had her down to a science really.

"I know you feel it Casey, because you're the only one who understands us. So continue sitting there being all nervous and uncertain. You'll be doing my laundry when you figure out you can't stay away from this." He gestured to himself with a sly smirk, and shut his door.

Casey stared at his door and fell onto the couch, surprised and overwhelmed. After an entire month of going out it was suddenly over, and she didn't like it. She was ridiculously happy being with him in ways she never had been before, and he made her feel like she was on top of everything and she felt she could do anything. But now that they were over, it hurt and she realized maybe it was safer this way. They were still in each other's lives, and the world hadn't ended.

It was most certainly, positively, and absolutely better this way.

So why did it feel like she was about to throw up at the thought of doing Derek's laundry?

_tbc._


	12. Go With The Flow

Hey everyone! Sorry I took so long. I've been super sick lately and still recovering. Thank you for all the favourites and subscriptions!

Second last chapter! Kind of odd how I ended up writing 13 chapters for both of my stories, but I digress. I do have a one-shot in the works that I've already written 8 pages for. :0

P.S. Title's from the song, once again. :P

**Go With The Flow**

"This is worse than the time you broke up with Max." Emily's admonishing voice of reason flowed through the receiver and Casey fell on her bed exasperated. She had come home to London with Derek for reading week, and so far things weren't going so well.

Derek put a smelly bag of laundry in front of her door every day for a week, and she was getting a little fed up with not only the noxious fumes, but his never-ending arrogance. Did he really think she wanted him that much, to say to hell with the family and everyone else? Let's Bonnie and Clyde this place?

"Breaking up with Max was a really good thing!" Casey exclaimed, glancing down at her vent and happy to note that it was still covered up from prying ears.

"Were you really having a personality crisis or did you just want in Derek's pants?" Emily drawled lazily, amused by Casey's behaviour but also somewhat annoyed. The girl just kept making the wrong moves. Casey jumped up on her bed horrified.

"Emily Sarah Davis!" She screeched into the phone, making her friend wince and hold the phone away from her ear.

"That's my name, don't wear it out." Emily grinned, stroking Casey's ire.

"I really was having a crisis, and just because I ended up in Derek's room ranting about it, doesn't mean I had some diabolical plan of getting into his...well, yeah." Casey huffed and hugged a pillow to her chest, resting herself against the headboard.

"You've slept with the guy and you still can't even finish dirty sentences. Oh, Casey." Emily laughed, and flipped through her fashion magazine.

"Whatever... but I guess in a way, it did have to do with him... Derek is the only guy I feel comfortable being myself with." Casey's voice got quiet, and Emily sighed. She was making this too entirely hard for herself.

"You have to figure this one out, Case. I don't know why you care so much about appearances with Derek, or even what your parents think. Even though George and Nora are sort of oblivious half the time, they would have to be functionally blind or completely deaf to have not seen this coming." Emily said, making Casey crease her forehead in thought.

"But still..."

"But still nothing Case! You told me that if you told your parents and they freaked, you'd be worried about losing him. Didn't he say he wouldn't leave no matter the circumstances?" Emily pitch began to rise, an indication of her getting frustrated or excited. This time it was the former.

"Well, yeah..."

"Well, yeah nothing!" Emily shouted.

"I guess maybe you're right." Casey admitted finally, slumping against her headboard in defeat.

"Aren't I always? Go get yourself a piece of Venturi ass; it's basically sitting on a platter waiting for you." Emily joked, and Casey just shook her head.

"Oh, please Em. I'm not going to make it that easy for him, you must be out of your mind." Casey said, throwing her pillow beside her and getting off the bed.

"You two are just ridiculous, and everything you do is like foreplay." Emily said then, feeling like she knew too much about her next door neighbour couple.

"That's so not true!"Casey huffed, pulling her door open and going to walk down the stairs when she saw Derek standing in front of his door. He stared at her with a devious look, like he wanted to devour her whole and it sent shivers down her spine.

"Yeah, it's like if he drinks milk out of the carton it turns you on." Emily retorted. Casey could barely hear what she was saying anymore, and managed to end the call.

"I... um, I'll talk to you later Em." She pressed end.

"Hey princess." He said, his voice husky and low like he had just finished doing something extraordinarily naughty in his bedroom. Did he always have that bedroom voice, not only that, but a bedroom voice that turned her on to no end?

"Hey jerk." She sneered, crossing her arms and stared back without fear.

"Off to your princely duties then?" Derek smirked, crossing his arms.

"Didn't you use that one before, D? Losing your touch are we?"she replied in a haughty tone, raising her eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter what I do, Case," he narrowed the distance between them by walking closer to her, and she could make out the freckles that sprinkled his straight nose and strong cheekbones. "It doesn't matter what I say, either. I'm always..." his eyes slowly grazed her body from head to toe and she flushed from the attention. "Going to have an effect on you." He finished finally, and Casey realized she had been holding her breath.

"Yeah, you keep thinking that Venturi. Be sure not to trip on your ego on your way down the stairs." She pushed past him, going towards the bathroom, but stopped when she felt his hand close around her forearm.

"Is that the best you got, McDonald?" he drawled lazily, and she could _feel_ his arrogant smirk. He smoothed his fingertips slowly down her side, almost touching her behind before coming back up and grazing the underside of her breast. Casey stiffened.

She turned back quickly to yell at him but faltered in her step when she was met with an empty hallway. Stomping her foot, and walked down the stairs. Derek hearing her heavy klutzilla steps, laughed to himself quietly behind his bedroom door. Casey wouldn't be able to resist him for long, not if he had anything to do with it.

-

"Kendra! What a surprise!" Derek greeted his ex-girlfriend at the door, ushering her in. She flashed her blonde hair over her shoulder, giving him a dubious look.

"What do you mean, you called m—" Kendra was cut off.

"Wow, it really is great to see you." Derek said excitedly, and hid a smirk when he heard Casey coming down the stairs.

"Kendra! What are you doing here?" Casey tried hard to keep the jealous edge out of her voice, and luckily Kendra didn't know her so well that she'd notice it. A certain step-brother would and did, however.

"Oh, well, Derek—"

"Come on, let's get some grub and catch up, shall we?" Derek had that plastic smile plastered to his face, and Casey knew something weird was going on.

Derek led Kendra to the kitchen, and pulled down a bag of chips for himself and managed to touch the celery long enough to give it to her. They sat down at the kitchen island across from each other, and quite frankly his smile made Kendra a bit sick. She knew he was up to something, and she wasn't sure she'd like it.

"What's the deal, D?" she asked impatiently. Derek proceeded to stuff the chips in his mouth, the crumbs falling on his shirt. Kendra found the action cute and endearing, and Derek wondered if she was insane for not freaking out about his manners. He realized then that he was just too used to Casey's antics.

"It's like this," He began, brushing the crumbs off his shirt. "I need you to do me a favour, and it's going to seem a tiny bit odd." He said, grabbing a soda from the fridge and chugging it, waiting for her response. Kendra was doubtful as always.

"The last time you asked me to do you a favour, it turned into a mess with that weird Noel guy... but Patrick was really nice that night." Kendra was deep in thought, and Derek resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the thought of that weird Patrick guy who kept going after his ex-girlfriend.

"Well, that's funny, because I need you to do something similar." Derek put on his best charming smile, and he knew that was all that was needed. Kendra blinked, confused.

"Um, are you out of your mind? Isn't Sally in Vancouver?" Kendra asked, genuinely feeling lost. She hadn't really kept tabs on Derek after he left town for university, which was a shame because everyone kept asking her about him. Derek laughed then, and looked at Kendra seriously.

"No... this time it's not about Sally, it's about ... " Derek looked around quickly for any prying younger siblings or the girl in question. "Casey." He whispered softly, a goofy smile spreading across his face before he could stop it. Kendra recoiled in her seat from shock.

"Excuse me, you mean your step-sister from hell that you can't stop talking about? Oh... okay, that makes more sense now that I think about it." Kendra was off in thought again, and Derek smirked.

"Yup, that's the one. I need you to help me to make her jealous, and please for the love of god, don't misinterpret this as me coming on to you or wanting to start things up again." Derek warned, flailing his hands wildly and trying to get her to understand.

"Please, Venturi. You're like yesterday's news. It's all about the sexy seniors at Western." Kendra scoffed, flipping her hair in that obnoxious way he would've found attractive years ago, but anything that wasn't remotely related to Casey didn't catch his attention much these days.

"Okay, all I need you to do is like... I don't know, do that girly gushy thing you're so good at." Derek rambled.

"What _girly gushy _thing?" Kendra asked indignantly, somewhat offended even though she didn't quite understand.

"You know, the whole like 'aww, Der-bear, you're so cool and cute and I love you, I'll love you forever' thing." Derek mocked in a high voice. Kendra's deadpan expression indicated she wasn't amused.

"I don't sound like that."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Chyeah, okay. Just do it." Derek laughed, and threw the empty chip bag in the recycling along with his pop can.

"What do I get out of it?" Kendra hopped off the stool and followed Derek into the living room where Casey was sitting on the couch watching figure skating of some sort.

"A revisit to glory days past." He whispered to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders. Kendra rolled her eyes and smiled anyway, finding that Derek was still too cute to turn down.

"Hey Casey!" Kendra called out, making the brunette in question turn around and look at the couple that used to get on her nerves, and was doing much of the same, even more so now.

"Hey, Kendra..." Casey replied back, her smile wavering. She threw Derek a glare and he only had a lazy smile on his face.

"How's Queen's by the way? It must be tough having such a hot step-brother all to yourself." Kendra's bitchy holier than thou attitude was back with a vengeance and Casey felt bitterness rise in her throat. Derek glanced at his ex with a look that said, 'Aren't you laying it on a little thick, K?' to which she responded, 'Just trust me, D.' Derek rolled his eyes covertly, making sure Casey didn't see their telepathic exchange that only cool kids could understand.

"Yeah... really tough." Casey frowned, turning back to the television just in time to catch the figure skater do a triple axel and then fall. Derek burst out laughing.

"That reminds me of you on the ice Case. Good times honestly." Derek grinned, and Casey bristled.

"Stuff it, Venturi. I'm not in the mood." Casey snarled in response, trying to ignore her ogre of a step-brother who she wish she hadn't fallen in love with. Was she one of those stupid girls who always fell for the wrong guys? She looked at Derek then, his strong handsome face staring back at her, and she felt her anger rising even more. Why did he have to look like that? It would be easier to be just friends if he looked like the hunchback of Notredame, as shallow as that was.

Derek smirked. Casey was angry. This was progressing well.

"I'm so lucky I'm not related to Derek here in any way," Kendra broke the momentary silence with her jab, and brushed her hand on Derek's chest. Casey's expression darkened, and she clenched her fists.

"Yeah, real lucky. Derek, can I speak to you? In private?" Casey sneered through gritted teeth, jumping up off the couch and yanking him away from Kendra's grasp.

"Uh oh." Derek's hundred watt smile made her even angrier and she growled at him, making him raise in eyebrows in surprise. Damn, she was hot when she did that.

"Oh, Kendra. Make yourself at home," Casey threw her a fake smile. "But you're welcome to leave if you'd like." She said, her voice dripping with venom but her expression innocent. Kendra tried not to belie her surprise and just nodded at the angry woman currently gripping Derek's collar in her fist.

"Easy Casey, you'll ruin the material." Derek tried to get Casey's hands off his shirt, but she proceeded to pull him up the stairs. Bursting into his bedroom, she threw him down on his bed and Derek fought the shivers that ran through his body. It was the best of both worlds, the subtle (not so subtle) flirting they did while they were in high school but combined with everything that had happened in university.

"I know what you're up to Derek." She began, her hands characteristically placed on her hips. Derek sat up on his elbows, noticing that Casey was standing in between his legs that were still hanging off the bed.

"Oh, really? What am I up to, Casey?" he asked smoothly, daring her to respond.

"All your sexing me up," she began, making him drop his mouth open in shock, for she uttered something containing the word sex while not referring to gender, "And trying to make me jealous. What are you going to do next? Cook me some amazing dinner or make me laugh until I cry or make me freak out on purpose before calming me down the way only you can or... or..." Casey trailed off, and he gave her a soft smile.

"You're obviously in love with me." Derek said then, effectively silencing her. Her watery blue eyes caught his gaze then, and her bottom lip trembled.

"So what?" Casey muttered defiantly. Derek's eyes widened and he sat up slowly from his bed, placing his hands on her forearms gently.

"So it's kind of cool because I might happen to feel the same way too, perhaps, maybe." He grinned, reaching up and wiping the errant tear that had ran down her cheek. She tried to stop her tears, knowing he hated them, and then looked up at him, searching his eyes for honesty.

"Honestly? And none of that stupid maybe crap?" She asked softly. He chuckled and enveloped her in his arms, kissing her hair before resting his head in the crook of her neck.

"You must be retarded—I mean, mentally challenged if you didn't figure that out by now." He said, brushing his thumb against the bare skin above her waistband.

"I hate you." She said, but she started crying again, feeling laughter bubble up inside her. "I hate you so much you big jerk." She said, and he knew she meant something entirely different. That had been the basis of their relationship, always saying things they didn't mean because they were too afraid to really say what they felt.

"Feeling's mutual babe, and don't you forget it." He smiled, leaning back and gathering her face in his hands before kissing her lips lightly. Her eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into the kiss, throwing away all of her insecurities and doubts.

"So um," Derek started after they had parted, their faces flushed from the kiss. "I haven't done my laundry in like a month because I was waiting for you to come around. So now you should repent for your actions by doing all of it, like we promised."

"I didn't promise anything Venturi, you made that bet on your own, doesn't mean I agreed to it." Casey huffed, pulling away and crossing her arms.

"Oh, but you're too much of a priss to let all those dirty, stinky clothes clog up the apartment in Kingston, aren't you Case?" he drawled lazily, knowing he had won this battle.

"I am so not a priss! I just don't want our home to become a battlefield of chemical warfare with your germy clothes." Casey twisted her face in disgust, and stuck out her tongue.

"Sure, whatever you say princess. By the way, you look really cute when you do that. Maybe I should leave my dishes for you to do, or maybe a few boxers or strings of floss on the ground?" Derek pulled her flush against him, kissing at her neck.

"You disgust me." She said, but her hands were grasping at his shirt.

_tbc._


	13. The Parentals

Last chapter! Finally. :] I've been sick on and off for the last few weeks so I apologize for the delay. I wrote a longer one for you to make up for it somewhat. Thanks for all the awesome support, whether if you just read this story, reviewed, favourited it or subscribed to it, it really means a lot. I had a lot of fun writing this and I hope you enjoyed it just as much.

P.S. This is sort of an epilogue of sorts, of how they tell the ever oblivious parents. :]

**The Parentals**

"I think I've figured it out."

"What?"

"You're a nymphomaniac." Casey stated plainly, sitting atop the kitchen island where Derek was currently divesting her of her shirt. She could feel Derek's smirk on her neck as he continued to mark his territory through little red marks. He'd never tell her that that was what he was doing though, she'd freak out and tell him she was her own woman or some other feminist spiel he wasn't in the mood to hear.

"I'll take it." He replied after a few moments, running his hands underneath her shirt up her back and undoing the clasps of her bra. She shuddered against him, lowering her hands to lift his shirt off of him.

"You'll take what exactly?" she asked, but her mind was on completely different things.

"Nymphomaniac. Has a better ring to it than skirt-chasing cad or stupid cool guy or whatever nonsensical name you've come up with before." He leaned in to kiss her, but he was met with her palm covering his mouth. He searched for her eyes in the darkness and he raised an eyebrow.

"Derek, what are we doing? We're in the kitchen and... I'm half naked. That has to violate laws somewhere." Casey proceeded to shove herself off of the island, and land gracefully on the ground without toppling over for once.

"Sure... but I'm pretty sure banging your sister violates laws in more places than this mysterious 'somewhere'." Derek retorted with air quotes, rolling his eyes.

"De-rek! Don't forget that I am not related to you in any genetic way, or so help me god if I were, I'd be in a crazy house right now – and do you have to use such a vulgar word to describe our activities?" Casey screeched in hushed tones. It was 2 in the morning, and it was the only time they found to themselves. The younger siblings were getting awfully, let's just say clingy, and they were around more than usual.

"Yes, I do as a matter of fact, and I take offense to that! However, I'd probably look sexy even in a straight jacket, don't you think?" Derek smirked, pushing away her hand that was trying to button up her shirt. Casey pursed her lips and gave him a doubtful look.

"Well, it might be very fitting – not sure about the sexy part though." She swatted away his hand as if she was reprimanding a child, and Derek pouted.

"Caseyy." He whined.

"Derek." She drawled in response, daring him to challenge her as she buttoned her shirt fully and adjusted her hair – not that it mattered since no one would be up to see it anyway.

"Fine. Look, is the plan still on?" He asked in an exasperated tone, he didn't like being denied his Casey, he'd been subconsciously waiting too long for her, almost seven years to if you want to put a time on it.

"Yes," Casey grumbled. "I still don't think it's a good idea though." She opened the kitchen doors gently before stepping out into the dining area, Derek hot on her heels.

"What do you suppose we do? Tell them we're together right now when we still have three days left at home? Talk about a disaster of epic proportions." Derek whispered, keeping a hand on the small of her back as they headed up the stairs.

"Like your plan is any better!" Casey screeched again, and his eyes widened to warn her of the particular time of day and the certain family members that were above and below them. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, you don't like taking responsibility for anything and this is your cowardly way out." Casey snarled, smacking away his arm in mock disgust.

"Well let me know when you have a better plan, princess. Since you _love_ planning so much." Derek sneered, flicking the bare skin above her waistband making her flinch.

"Is that a poorly veiled insult in a compliment I hear? Or are my ears fooling me?" Casey stopped ascending the stairs to turn and face him, her arm on the rail, effectively blocking him from going anywhere.

"Oh, ho. You've seen right through me, what shall I do?" Derek grunted. "Your plans have brought us nothing but trouble McDonald. Purple fog, remember that?" He crossed his arms. Casey bristled.

"That was one time, and it would've gone well if you hadn't banged up George's car!" Casey whispered, her eyes blazing into his.

"Whatever," Derek waved his hand in a lazy manner. "Your little matchmaking plan failed completely too." He smirked when he saw her stiffen. Jackpot. But then a slow smile crossed her face, and he was taken aback temporarily but how pretty she was, even though he couldn't see her very well in the darkness. Just the smell of her and the warmth radiating off her body sent chills down his spine.

"Not entirely, Venturi. The outcome might have been different from what I planned, but the intention was fulfilled in the end."

"Oh, and what was that?"

"That you find a girl that makes you happy."

Casey leaned down and kissed him briefly before bounding up the stairs. Derek stood there for a second, taking in her words.

"What makes you so sure I am happy, Case?" and his voice wasn't sad or upset, it was only filled with unbridled happiness and a hint of teasing; and it made her chest swell up with butterflies. He jogged up to meet her at the landing between their rooms, and his arms naturally fell to her waist when she turned.

"What makes you so sure this wasn't my plan all along, D?" Casey gave her own version of a smirk and Derek was once again taken aback, not sure how to process that one.

"Er, that's impossible. It just defies Casey psychology and all other laws of the universe." Derek frowned, and it deepened when he saw her smirk get wider. "You didn't really plan this, did you?" Derek asked, very much curious at this point.

"I guess you'll never know." Casey grinned and slipped from his grasp into her room and shut the door. Derek grumbled, too tired to deal with her antics. There's no way she could have foreseen him going after her, right? Girls just didn't play games like that, especially not with the likes of Derek Venturi. It just wasn't possible. Right?

-

"Derek Delight! I never thought I'd get to eat this dish again." George said excitedly, sitting at the head of the table with his children and step-children by his sides. He glanced up at his wife and gave her a brilliant goofy smile that made her return a smile in the same fashion.

"I just wonder Georgie, did Derek get his cooking abilities from Abby? Because you know..." Nora trailed off, seeing her husband's smile falter. Derek and Edwin glared at their step-mother for her slip-up.

"What do you mean, Nor? Of course he gets it from the both of us." George laughed nervously and looked over at Derek for reassurance, who was currently hiding himself behind a glob of Derek Delight.

Nora laughed uneasily. "Yes, of course dear. So, are you kids ready to go back to Queen's?" she started conversationally with the eldest children. Casey smiled brilliantly as she always did before going into a tale about her future plans or what she did that day, but Derek – as he always did, interrupted her before she got the chance.

"Yeah, living with this chick is a real bother. I think it's beginning to affect my grades." Derek grumbled, stuffing his face hastily. Casey glared at him.

"I thought you were on your way to Dean's list, Derek." George frowned, briefly glancing at Casey to make sure she wasn't in freak out mode yet.

"Oh, I am. I got all A's and B+'s last semester and so far this semester is going that way too. Her keenerism is beginning to rub off!" Derek itched at himself like he was trying to rid himself of pests and Casey attempted to kick him underneath the table. He swiftly shifted his foot with utmost grace and her foot made contact with his chair. She clenched her jaw.

"That's a good thing, Derek! Thanks to me, you won't be a homeless homebody when you're older!" Casey reprimanded fiercely. Suddenly Derek's countenance changed and he gave her a warm smile. The family stiffened when they saw that it was a genuine smile, and were further shocked when Derek reached over and ruffled his step-sister's hair, before smoothing it down affectionately.

"I know, Case." Was all he said, and the table was effectively silenced. Casey tried not to let their reaction ruffle her feathers so to speak but her face turned bright red and she looked down at her food. Lizzie stared at her older sister with a blank expression she was famous for, and Casey squirmed. Derek shook his head for a moment and smiled to himself, he'd have to teach his girlfriend how to act better.

-

"Wasn't it strange though? I mean I know they get along better now, but it just felt odd." George muttered as he washed off a dish and placed it in the dish drain. Nora handed him another soapy plate and sighed. It was a few hours after dinner, and George had been the worst loser in the board game they were all playing and was thus forced to do the dishes. He dragged Nora down with him.

"I don't think it was much of anything, we're probably overreacting – or you're overreacting rather." She said, humour colouring her voice. She did find it kind of strange the way Derek was looking at her daughter, much like the way George looked at her sometimes. But what did that even mean, was it just the father son resemblance or something else? She didn't want to think about the other possibility that had been creeping up in her mind for years now.

"Nora... stop acting like the cool nonchalant one for once." George pouted, and took another plate from her. Nora laughed and patted his shoulder.

"I'm just cool like that, you know? I can get jiggy with it." Nora shoved George slightly with her hips and began dancing to an imaginary beat, inviting him to dance along with her, which he did.

"Um, please stop that mom." Casey said nervously after entering the kitchen, and Nora turned to look at her daughter and Derek who followed her in.

"Yeah Nora, did Casey get her dancing skills from Dennis 'cause..." Derek smirked and Casey glared at him for his slip-up this time.

"Oh, no. Dennis had two left feet." Nora chuckled to herself, and Casey gave her a small smile at the mention of her father. Derek made a sound that indicated he wasn't really interested in the conversation anymore, and threw a hand over Casey's shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"How about a nice massage huh? You haven't given me one in a while." Derek grinned and watched her face fire up again for the second time that night. George and Nora's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You give him massages Case?" Nora's dubious tone kicked at Casey's nerves and she bit her lip, a sure sign that she was nervous. Derek poked her with his free hand, telling her to stop it.

"Oh, you know, those hockey games are really tough on him... and he always comes home whining about it and so I just help him out." Casey explained, feeling herself get a little hot thinking about all the times she had massaged Derek in his bed, his toned muscles jumping at her touch.

"Does he pay you?" George inquired, seeming a bit more sceptical than before. Casey cocked her head to the side innocently, and shook her head.

"No... why should he?" she said, and Derek could barely hide the grin on his face.

"Come on, let's go watch some of that skating crap you like so much – even though you can't skate to save your life." Derek pulled her along with him, leaving their parents with their thoughts.

"De-rek!" Casey pouted, but followed him anyway. Their plan was going along almost too smoothly. There was no better way to tell your parents you were dating than giving them a taste of what it was like first. It was all a part of Derek's scheming strategy that Casey couldn't help but hate because she didn't come up with it herself.

-

The next day, the McDonald-Venturi kids were sitting around the living room watching television while George and Nora sat at the dining table preparing for the next day at work. Casey and Derek would be leaving in the morning back to Queen's, and the parents were both feeling a little emotional that their kids were leaving – Nora moreso than George, but they couldn't help but feel something else. Something like... uneasiness.

"I'm telling you Nora, something's up and I'm not sure if I like it. Was it a good idea to get them to live together?" George tapped his pen on the table incessantly and Nora grabbed his hand in a calming gesture.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it's fine! Even if they never considered each other siblings... even if they get along so well now..." Nora could hear the uncertainty in her own voice. They were speaking in hushed whispers, but the kids could hear them fine.

"What are they talking about?" Marti's asked, looking up at her older siblings.

"You'll see Smarti." Derek smiled and ruffled her hair. Casey shook her head and tried to contain herself, but it was proving to be difficult.

The doorbell rang, and Derek suddenly jumped up to get it.

"Were you expecting someone?" Casey asked, giving him a strange look, he never answered the door – even if he was expecting company.

"Oh, no. Just being courteous as always." Derek plastered on a smile and Casey bit her lip worriedly, what was he planning now?

Emily came bounding through the door as he opened it, and she gave him a quick wink before heading over to Casey.

"Why am I the last one to know?!" Emily screeched in a high pitched voice that she was famous in London for, and Casey looked up in surprise.

"To know what? What's going on?"

"That you like Derek!" Emily said and the room silenced while Derek burst out laughing.

"W-what? E-Emily, where did you hear that from?" Casey spluttered, completely caught off-guard. She glanced over to the parents whose eyes widened from shock, and George's expression was somewhat amused.

"Bah! It's like, only the talk of London and Queen's! Everyone thinks you and Derek are together." Emily narrowed her eyes while holding onto her hips impatiently. Suddenly, she stiffened and turned towards the rest of the family. At this point, Derek was killing himself with laughter and the rest of the family were dead silent with wonder, shock and confusion.

"Emily? Can I speak to you, in private? The dumb log over there comes too." Casey said, referring to her oaf of a step-brother who strangely, or not so strangely, made light of the situation. Emily smiled sheepishly at the family while carefully avoiding their inquisitive stares, and followed Casey – or more like was pulled by Casey and her death grip up the stairs, Derek sauntering along after them.

"Well, that was interesting." Nora said after a few moments.

"See, I told you something was going on!" George threw his pen down and sighed exasperated.

"Now Georgie, you know how Emily is. She's a sweet girl but..." Nora trailed off, lest she become one of those parents who badmouth their children's friends or schoolmates.

"This all makes sense now!" Edwin piped up from the couch, having a 'Eureka!' expression on his face. Lizzie looked at him dubiously, knowing her step-brother wasn't much of a sleuth and only pretended to be.

"What is it now, Edwin?" George and Lizzie chorused, and they both looked at each other and shared an amused smile. Edwin faltered in his stance a bit, but continued on.

"Okay, when they came back for winter break, Derek was telling me how Casey was pulling an enormous prank on him and had been doing so for months. Derek told me he had it under control and that he'd get her back so I didn't think about it anymore." Edwin finished, and waited for everyone to clue in – but they were still dumbfounded.

"Derek told you about that? Casey told me she was just trying to make Derek happy by setting him up, she wasn't trying to _prank _him." Lizzie eyes narrowed into slits, yeah, her step-brother really needing to stop acting like he was Sherlock.

"Wait a minute, _Casey _was setting up _Derek_? That doesn't sound right." George said, and Nora had the same incredulous expression.

"That's exactly what I mean! I don't blame you guys because you completely fail when it comes to knowing your children—" Edwin said, and George and Nora bristled.

"I see... Casey liked Derek but she didn't want to lose him or mess up the family so she did what she thought was best. Classic Casey!" Lizzie slapped her forehead and the light bulbs were crackling with energy above everyone's heads.

"But now what... they've been acting all... strange lately." Nora commented, and they all fell into silence again.

"Duh, they're obviously dating." Marti spoke for the first time, and they froze. "Geez, grownups don't know anything." She giggled and ran up to her room.

Slack-jawed, George responded. "Heh, you don't think that's true right?"

"What if it is?" Nora replied, setting down her glasses and rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"Well I guess that... if that... what I mean to say is—" George stuttered.

"We've just never had control over those two, whether they were at each other's throats or the complete opposite." Nora sighed, and Lizzie and Edwin came to join them by the table.

"It's kind of weird... but I can see why this happened." Lizzie said, rubbing her mom's shoulders.

"Well, we don't know for sure until they tell us. Marti is always imagining things anyway." George laughed nervously.

"Heh, okay Dad. Remember the Scott thing?" Edwin reminded him.

"What Scott thing?" Lizzie frowned, thinking of her old soccer coach. Edwin recoiled slightly.

"Err, nothing, nothing." He pulled on his collar nervously and avoided his step-sister's signature penetrating stare.

-

"What was that all about?!" Casey screeched, while Derek tried to put his moves on her, but she wasn't having any of it. She knew Derek was a part of this, and she wouldn't stand for it. She'd never been more embarrassed in her life – okay, except for that time she fell down the stairs, or off that ladder, or dropped in that garbage can or when she dropped the podium, or – ugh!

"Well now your parents sort of know, and they aren't freaking out are they?" Emily smiled innocently, while primping her hair in the mirror.

"Yup, great plan. Right, Case?" Derek piped up and Casey threw him a death glare.

"Yeah, I'd appreciate it if you told me of such plans before they happened!" Casey pushed him onto her bed, and Emily tuned them out, far too used to (and way tired) of their constant bickering.

"No way, it was too funny seeing your reaction." Derek laughed to himself again, and Emily giggled along with him.

"Oh yeah, well, every action has an equal and opposite reaction!" Casey yelled, and her boyfriend and best friend grimaced at her use of physics at a time like this.

"Oh, really?" Derek drawled lazily.

"Yeah, really. Which means, you won't be getting any action tonight buster!" Casey huffed, a mad blush rising in her face and the colour in Derek's fading quickly.

"Ha ha, sure Case. You can't resist this." Derek gestured to himself, and Casey – even Emily, had to roll their eyes.

"Are you guys ready to go back tomorrow? I'm going to miss you." Emily pouted and gathered her friend in a death hug, and ruffled Derek's hair a bit. He immediately went in the mirror to fix it back to it's messy state of perfection and that induced another round of eye rolls.

"I'll miss you too, Em. But... thanks for tonight, as much as I hated the way it played out," Casey glared at Derek. "Now the family must have figured it out and it takes a load off my shoulders."

"No probs, it was fun anyway." Emily laughed, and they all fell into laughter along with her.

-

The next morning, everyone was bustling about because it was Monday and Derek was loading their luggage into the Prince. It was snowing lightly, but the morning sun was warm and provided some relief from the cold. The fresh snowfall dusted the ground, and Casey was almost sad to ruin it with her foot prints. She treaded along the driveway, her laptop bag in hand, and watched as Derek managed to shut the trunk.

"God woman, why do you have so much crap?" Derek grumbled as he made his way to the door.

"It's not crap. It's perfectly good stuff." Casey reprimanded and Derek brushed her comment off.

"Still crap." Derek shrugged and got in the car, but not before opening the passenger door for her.

"Derek, let me remind you that the activities we partake in, in the bedroom, are still on embargo." Casey smiled sweetly, and Derek plastered on a fake smile in return.

"Right, honey." He gritted out and Casey couldn't hold in her laugh.

There was a knock on the car window then, and they saw their parents there. They hadn't spoken since last night, and Casey almost couldn't look them in the face.

"Aren't you guys going to stay for breakfast?" Nora asked worriedly, looking at her step-son and daughter curiously.

"Oh, no. We've got class later on today, so we gotta jet and get there in time." Derek said gruffly, not wanting to admit that he would miss Nora as much as anyone would miss a mom that was there for them.

"Well, drive safe Derek. You've got precious cargo in there." George said, looking over at Casey, and both women had to roll their eyes at the lame saying.

"Right Dad." Derek smiled cheekily.

"So um," Nora started, and the two young adults stiffened. Derek stealthily put the key into ignition and started the car, prompting his step-mom to speak faster.

"Are you two together?" she blurted out, and Casey spluttered.

"Ye-um, well... you see, it's like..." Casey stumbled upon her words, her face reddening quickly.

"Yup. No worries Nor, I got your daughter's back." Derek smirked in typical Derek fashion, and backed the car out of the driveway, ignoring their parents shocked looks.

"Derek!" "Casey!" They called out to their respective children, and watched as they sped off in the snowy distance.

"I guess I saw this coming." Nora sighed, and began to walk back into the house.

"What? Am I always the last one to see everything? I'm a lawyer for pete's sake." George whined.

-

"See? That went well didn't it? Now is the embargo off?" Derek asked, smiling at his girlfriend. He couldn't believe all that they had gone through during the past six and a half years, but he wouldn't have changed it for any other way. Now he had a great girl and she suited him just fine.

"I guess that was sort of cool driving off like that..." Casey began, biting her lip to prevent herself from smiling, but her eyes were shining and Derek could tell that she was happy. He wished she always looked like that. He leaned over and kissed her nose lightly, and Casey scrunched it up prettily. "Fine Derek, embargo's off, but keep your hands off me until after class – I won't skip for you." Casey muttered, but she had a full smile embracing her face.

"Alright, alright. Just promise me you'll get some better friends, okay? I don't know where you found such stinky, robotic and masculine friends anyway." Derek grumbled, and she ran her hands through her hair in a frustrated manner.

"Just for that unnecessary comment, the embargo's on again." Casey looked out the window at the snowy scenery, hoping to avoid Derek's expression – that was sure to resemble a puppy dog at that moment.

"Ca-sey!"

_end._


End file.
